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Arthur Conan Doyle Defends Boxing, Warns Against Bans

8/13/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Arthur Conan Doyle, an Edinburgh medical student, defended boxing as the finest sport and warned bans would push it underground.
He declined a 1920 invitation to referee the 1910 Johnson-Jeffries fight and, in 1921, condemned ruffians, saying the sport could not be abolished.
Doyle’s novella *The Croxley Master: A Tale of the Prize Ring* shows Robert Montgomery winning a £100 purse with a knockout, counting “Eight – nine – ten!”.

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Story summary

Arthur Conan Doyle, an Edinburgh medical student, defended boxing as the finest sport and warned bans would push it underground.
He declined a 1920 invitation to referee the 1910 Johnson-Jeffries fight and, in 1921, condemned ruffians, saying the sport could not be abolished.
Doyle’s novella *The Croxley Master: A Tale of the Prize Ring* shows Robert Montgomery winning a £100 purse with a knockout, counting “Eight – nine – ten!”.