Isaac Haim 'Abraham' Bitton

Isaac Haim Bitton (born 29 June 1779, Amsterdam, Holland, died 1839, London) was a Dutch-born Jewish bare-knuckle boxer who is most famous for a fight which lasted 74 rounds.

Bittoon -- also known as "Old Ikey" -- was known not only for his great strength, but also for his coolness in the ring. Following his retirement, Bittoon opened a school that taught both boxing and fencing. During his career, Bittoon fought in the era of "Broughton's Rules." Established in 1743 by Jack Broughton, considered the father of English boxing, the Rules stated that wrestling moves above the waist were allowed, but a fighter could not hit an opponent once he was down. In fact, knockdowns marked the division of rounds; the downed fighter had 30 seconds to return to the center of the ring, or he would lose. If the fighter, with the help of his handlers, made it to the center, the fight resumed in what was considered a new round. In this way, fights were recorded according to the number of rounds and amount of time. "Broughton's Rules" were replaced in 1838 by the Pugilistic Society's "London Prize Ring Rules."

He was born in Amsterdam to Abraham Bitton and Rachel Rodrigues de Castro. Abraham was born in the Italian city of Livorno on June 25, 1732, the son of Joseph & Simha. His grandfather Isaac was expelled from the city of Oran in 1669, then a Spanish possession, now in modern day Algeria. Suffering financially due to the war between Holland and Britain, Abraham decided to leave Amsterdam for London with his son Isaac in 1789, leaving his wife and other children in Amsterdam. Due to the French invasion in 1795 Rachel was unable to join Abraham with her children, and in 1801 Abraham died. In 1812 Isaac's mother died in Amsterdam, all her children apart from Isaac, having predeceased her. Isaac Bitton went into the field of boxing around the age of 22 in 1801. Undefeated, he was best known for two fights, with Bill Wood, and with George Maddox on Wimbledon Common which lasted 74 rounds. He retired in 1804, and was weighed at 17 stone. He married Eve in 1818 and had 11 children recorded in a charital record in 1838. He died in 1839 and was buried in the Jewish burial ground near Bethnal Green.

Links:

• Jews In Sports Online
• The Bitton Family from Oran

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Isaac Haim Bitton (born 29 June 1779, Amsterdam, Holland, died 1839, London) was an Dutch-born Jewish bare-knuckle boxer who is most famous for a fight which lasted 74 rounds.

He was born in Amsterdam to Abraham Bitton and Rachel Rodrigues de Castro. Abraham was born in the Italian city of Livorno on June 25, 1732, the son of Joseph & Simha. His grandfather Isaac was expelled from the city of Oran in 1669, then a Spanish possession, now in modern day Algeria. Suffering financially due to the war between Holland and Britain, Abraham decided to leave Amsterdam for London with his son Isaac in 1789, leaving his wife and other children in Amsterdam. Due to the French invasion in 1795 Rachel was unable to join Abraham with her children, and in 1801 Abraham died. In 1812 Isaac's mother died in Amsterdam, all her children apart from Isaac, having predeceased her. Isaac Bitton went into the field of boxing around the age of 22 in 1801. Undefeated, he was best known for two fights, with Bill Wood, and with George Maddox on Wimbledon Common which lasted 74 rounds. He retired in 1804, and was weighed at 17 stone. He married Eve in 1818 and had 11 children recorded in a charital record in 1838. He died in 1839 and was buried in the Jewish burial ground near Bethnal Green.

He is an ancestor of the "Eastenders" actress June Brown and was featured on BBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" in August, 2011. Wikipedia

Also referred to as Isaac Bitoon (see Jews in Sport Online) http://www.tzorafolk.com/genealogy/history/bitton.htm

Note - Burial date and inferred death date are from Bevis Marks Records, Volume VI - records of the Novo Cemetery. JMM