The Stakes were High

The Extraordinary Life of John Gully, From Bruiser and Bookie to Fine Old English Gentleman

Keith Baker

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing
• eBook ISBN:
  9781785312939
• Year: 2017

The Stakes were High follows the amazing life of "Glorious" John Gully, the butcher's boy from Bristol who first achieved fame as a bare-knuckle fighter and champion of England. No other boxer in the history of sports has had such an amazingly varied career. He amassed a huge fortune first as a successful bookmaker, gambler, and racehorse owner—and later MP. This is the fascinating story of his life.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• 1. The Early Days
• 2. Prize Fighting
• 3. Hen Pearce
• 4. Bob Gregson
• 5. The Racing World
• 6. The Blacklegs
• 7. The Lure of the Turf
• 8. William Crockford
• 9. Bob Ridsdale
• 10. Member of Parliament
• 11. The Danebury Confederacy
• 12. Lord George Bentinck
• 13. Running Rein
• 14. At Home
• 15. Robert Gully
• 16. Coal Mining
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index
• Photographs