Bruisers and bare knuckles: the brutal world of Victorian boxing
As A Thousand Blows lands on Disney Plus, the show's historical consultant Sarah Elizabeth Cox revisits the strange and spectacular world of Victorian boxing

Men fighting pumas. Brutal prize-fights in sacred chapels. A pair of sisters who could pack a punch. In Victorian Britain, boxing offered up edge-of-your-seat entertainment to all levels of society. A new Disney Plus show A Thousand Blows transports viewers back to the ringside in Victorian London, and in this episode, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to the show's historical consultant Sarah Elizabeth Cox to uncover some of the extraordinary real stories that inspired the drama.
Authors

James Osborne is a digital content producer at HistoryExtra where he writes, researches, and edits articles, while also conducting the occasional interview