- Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 7th October 2017
Given the traditional rivalries between France and England, it’s unsurprising that savate vs. boxing contests around the turn of the 20th century should have attracted considerable interest and generated considerable controversy. The infamous Charlemont vs. Driscoll match of October 19th, 1899 caused outrage among the English sporting press and public and very likely influenced E.W. Barton-Wright’s presentation of the Bartitsu curriculum.
The Charlemont/Driscoll contest had a belated and little-known sequel in late March of 1904, when Thomas “Pedlar” Palmer challenged Louis Anastasie to a public bout on stage at London’s Britannia Theatre:
