| “ | Down down to Hell with all OPs and say twas Dan that sent thee there!
— Daniel Mendoza
|
” |
Daniel "Dan" Mendoza, also known as Mendoza the Jew or Mendoza the Great, was an Jewish-English prizefighter who became the heavyweight champion of England from 1792–1795. He fought a total of 37 bouts and won 30 of them through knockouts. Considered to be the most influential boxer in history, Daniel Mendoza is credited with completely reinventing the sport of boxing by emphasizing on speed rather than power. He is known to be the creator of the "outboxer" style of boxing that many modern boxers still used today like Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather Jr. He is known by many to be the "Father of Modern Boxing".
Mendoza started his career in pugilism at the young age of 16. He turned professional at the age of 18, and had an unbeatable 17 winning streak by 1783. He would later be embroiled in a heated rivalry with fellow boxer Richard Humphries, which resulted in the first "modern trash-talk" rivalry in sports history. It gained so much publicity that their bout was also the first where people paid to watch a sports game. At his prime he was capable of fighting three separate brawls in just one day, winning them all. He got involved in three fights whilst on his way to watch a boxing match because, someone's cart cut in, he felt a shopkeeper was trying to cheat him, and he didn't like how a man was looking at him.
He was so good in fact, that he was one of the first athlete to actually meet the Prince of Wales who would become King George IV. Outside of boxing, Mendoza still continued living a fighting life. One time, his friend Thomas Fewtrell was attacked by a gang, and Mendoza had to fight them off with nothing more than a pistol and a mahogany table. He was also convicted of numerous crimes and was once hired as a thug to put down the ongoing Old Price Riots (which was one of the deadliest riots in London's history). His time as a boxer and other violent escapades solidified Mendoza as one of the toughest guys in his time. He is also considered a national hero in the Jewish community, because he elevated the status of Jews from a helpless minority to a physically strong people in a time where there was rampant antisemitism.
Battle vs. Nai Khanom Tom (by Killermoves)[]
Late 18th Century.
It was morning in the Roman Colosseum, and the sun has just risen and shone its glory to all those below. There was a commotion happening inside the arena, as people of all colors and nations gathered in such early morning. There were people from the Near East, who came carrying their gold and spices to gamble. There were people from the Far East, who came with their exotic animals and unintelligible language. African princes and lords also came to watch the spectacle on their leopard skins and expensive tunics. And then there were the Europeans, both the rich ones with their pompous wigs, and the poor tossers in their rugged jackets and billycocks.
The people sat on the dusty and crumbling chairs of the Colosseum. They formed a circle and cheered, for they were there to watch a modern gladiator fight. What made it even more exciting was its uniqueness; the fighters came from opposite corners of the world.
A British dodger came into the center and served as the announcer and the referee. In a big booming voice, he yelled to the crowd, “Thank you everyone for coming in this magnificent morning. I’m pretty sure we all know why we came here, now do we?”
The crowd of men cheered like lions, and they can't wait any longer for the fight. The announcer continued to hype the audience, saying, “Well we certainly did not came here for a lady-day picnic now did we lads?!!!”
He then pointed to the left corner, where a big burly Thai man sat in a stool. He was wearing some sort of tennis racket in his head and a string tied around his arm. He had a body that looked like it was made out of smooth clay. He looked stoic, emotionless, but twitchy and couldn’t wait to fight. “We have a warrior from the Far Far East of the Kingdom of Siam! The good Siamese King has decided to send his greatest fighter to show to us how did them Orientals did it! I present to you! Nai Khanomtom!!!! The unbreakable wall!!! The slayer of Burma!!! The indestructible Thai!!!”
Although the announcer kind of butchered his Siamese name, Nai nonetheless stood and waved to the crowd as everyone cheered him.
The announcer then pointed to the right corner, where a raggidity-looking white man sat. He had curly and unkempt Jewish hair, and clothes that marked his middle-classness. His face on the other hand was full of rage and adrenaline, like a keg of gunpowder ready to explode. “In this corner, an Englishman known far and wide as the champion of Great Britain. Don’t let his size full you, this guy’s godlike speed and power has been unmatched in Europe!!! Gentleman, I present to you! The Jewish crusher. The Manchester Mauler. Nelson’s Little Bull Dog!!! Daniel “The Great” MENDOZAAAA!!!”
“Give that Asian to me, mate. And I’ll send him back in a rice bowl!!!” Dan yelled at the announcer as he got up and let himself bask in the cheers of the people.
The visitors then started to gamble their money and produce with each other, to whom they bet will win this fight. They were all ready to gamble in that day, but the true price was the show which was about to unfold. It was time to settle this once and for all. Who is better? The mysterious East, vs the classic West?
As the people started to shout in excitement, Nai took his time to come forward to the center and started to do is Wai Khru dance, which was the traditional dance of Thai fighters. To the mystique of the people watching, Nai’s danced with great flexibility and grace, doing splits with ease and raising his legs as easy as raising an arm, showing his athleticism in that one beautiful dance. Dan did not have any exotic rituals, for his religion encouraged silent, simple and isolated praying. Dan started to strip, showing his physique to everyone to see; a small but muscular body with scars that looked like tough white marble. The Jew then got unto his knees and prayed to Yahweh for victory.
He then faced Nai and yelled in spectacular British mockery, “No hard feelins Mr. Siam! But if ya got kids ya bettah kiss them softly goodbye. I’ll make sure to try and let ya keep ya face intact! And I heard ya got multiple wives? Won’t you mind if I pick one for meself if I win?!” The stoic Thai said nothing but gave his opponent a smile. He then raised his arms, made a position that looked like he was shooting a bow, and fired at Dan. It was the common issue of challenge in Thai warrior culture. Dan saw this taunting of the Thai but did nothing but grin with excitement. He's no stranger to being mocked and insulted due to his race and height, but nonetheless it always ended badly for those who do. Whatever Nai was doing meant nothing to him. He will wreck this guy to pieces.
“Alright boys, settle down,” the announcer said. “On my signal the fight will start. So get up to scratch and prepare yourselves.”
The two combatants then came forward and faced each other, their eyes aimed at each other with dreadful intent.
“Okay gents… on my mark… GO!!!!”
The first one to attack was Nai Khanomtom as he send a right hook towards his opponent, but Daniel Mendoza easily avoided it. The Thai then sent another left hook, but the Brit ducked and dodged it. Dan then sent an uppercut to Nai’s abdomen, making him reel back, before the Brit followed up with a cross to the nose. The crowd then cheered in delight as Dan drew first blood.
In just that span of a few seconds, Dan managed to make Nai bleed. But a broken nose was not going to end the Thai that easily. Knowing that punching with him won't do him no good, Nai then teeps Dan in the knee, making him lose his balance and almost fall to the floor. The Thai then followed up with a quick roundhouse kid, but the Brit thankfully avoided it. It seems that Dan is face to face with a kicker here, and he needs to be extra careful.
As the two circle each other, Nai found an opening and sent a side-teep on Mendoza chest. Dan countered with quick jabs on his opponent’s face, but this did not bother Khanomtom as he sent a heavy roundhouse to Dan’s left ribs. That strong attack almost knocked the wind out of Dan, and he can almost feel that powerful strike almost breaking his ribs.
“Not bad Asian man,” Dan said with confidence. “But try to keep up this time.”
In blinding speed, Dan weaved and started circling Nai. The Thai tried to tag Mendoza with a flurry of kicks and lousy punches, but the Brit was too fast. The coliseum was also large, and Dan had no problems using the ring size for his advantage. He moved everywhere, seemingly teleporting with his godly speed and Nai could not keep up. Nai tried to send a flying knee towards the Brit, but Dan was just too fast and he disappeared even as Nai was still in the air. As the Thai landed back on the ground, he definitely did not see that sudden right hook came out of nowhere and hit him right in the jaw. As he stumbled to the left, Daniel followed up with a combination of crosses, straights and uppercuts, which brutalized Nai’s face. And with one final cross, Dan hit him in the jaw, which knocked him down to the dusty floor below.
Dan then walked away to his corner; his traditional boxing code of honor preventing him from hitting a downed and defenseless opponent. He always viewed himself as a gentleman, unlike this uncultured barbarian who loved to kick like a stupid animal. Nai on the other hand, picked himself up. He was a warrior of his country, he killed his enemies in war in the name of his King, and he was not going to be beaten by some lazy white peasant.
Dan then went back to using his speed to confuse and disorient Nai, but the Thai had a plan this time. As he covered himself up with his forearms surviving whatever Daniel threw at him, unbeknownst to the Brit Nai was actually drawing him to the offensive. Thinking that he was winning, Dan lets go of his evasion and focused on pummeling Nai to submission. As he sensed his opponent getting too cocky and overconfident, and Dan himself was getting too distracted with punching rather than evading, Nai finally found an opening and send a powerful leg kick on Dan’s left leg.
The loud crunch of that kick made the patrons silent and horrified, as Dan yelled and limped away with a broken knee. Nai on the other hand, was not going to let him go that easily. He continued kicking and kicking Dan’s legs, continuously damaging it, and finally eradicating his speed advantage. It won’t be long before the Jew’s leg finally gives up and he falls to the floor, never to be able to stand up and walk again.
Daniel was in trouble as he could not use his speed anymore. The only way to survive this was to eliminate the Thai’s kicks, and the only way to do this is for him to grapple. Daniel grabbed hold of Nai’s waist, and this quick thinking finally immobilize the kicker and stopped his kicking. Dan then grabbed Nai on the neck with a headlock, slightly choking him and continuously pummeling and fibbing at his face with his free hand. Nai was not entirely defenseless though, as he too took a hold of Dan’s head in the traditional double plum, and started kneeing his opponent in the stomach. The two continuously battled each other in the hug, trying their best to tank every hit, and hoping that the other finally gave up. The battle of grace soon turned into a dirty barbaric brawl.
Nai was getting sick of it, as Dan’s punches finally made both his eyes swole and it won’t be long before he himself will not be able to see. And so he elbowed the Brit on the eyebrow, cutting him, before grabbing his opponent’s head and trying his best to pull him to the ground where he can pound him some more elbows. Dan saw what he was doing, and he countered by twisting his body and using a cross throw to throw Nai to the ground.
The hip throw was something that Nai did not see coming, and that slam stunned him the moment he landed unto the ground. Dan too fell to the ground as he lost his balance with that counter, and the race was on to whom can get back to his feet first. Even with Dan’s injury, he was still able to get back up faster than the dazed Thai. As the Thai was still picking himself up, in a quick flash Dan rushed towards Nai with all his remaining speed. The Thai, though stunned with that throw, tried to defend himself with a hanuman double uppercut, but Dan just parried it, before the Brit finally sent a powerful purr kick with his metal boots that shattered Nai’s left shin.
The Thai cried in pain as he tried to keep his upright balance and his foot literally dangling from his knee. With this momentum, Dan sent a coup de grace using a powerful hook that hit Nai on the jaw again, this time dislocating it. The Thai fell on the ground, unconscious, as the people flooded into the arena and picked Dan up. They cheered their champion on that day.
Winner: Daniel Mendoza
Epilogue[]
Nai woke up, in some dark and damp building. He was laying on a cold bamboo stretcher with his left foot in a cast. Suddenly, a group of dark hooded men came inside the room which surprised and scared the Thai warrior. He asked them who they were, as well as yelling and warning them to stay back. But the men all carried his bed to another door in the right, carrying the scared Thai to God knows where.
They then ended up in another darker room, and what Nai saw shook him in his sheets. He was a warrior and a soldier in Siam, and while he as seen a lot of horrifying things, this one scared him like he was never scared before. Inside the room was a sort of occult ritual, filled with many dark magic paraphernalia like chalk pentagrams, candles and different mini statues of knights, soldiers and demons.
As they laid Nai on the center, one of the hooded figure, probably the leader of this group, came forth and spoke to his fellow occultists. “Brothers… we are here today because a tradition must be fulfilled, Even if the battle that we have just witnessed was a bloodless and soft duel, we all know that this is not enough.”
“Not enough!!!” the rest of the group said.
“Yes! Blood needs to be spilled. Blood still needs to flow! He wills it! HE WILLS IT! Our great Field Marshal wills it!!!!”
And the hooded man then pointed to a portrait of Bernard Montgomery hanging on the center wall. He then grabbed a Webley revolver and aimed it at Nai Khanomtom. And as the Thai pleaded for mercy, the hooded man then shot him in the temple, killing him.
“The sacrifice is done. Blood has and will always be, continued to be spilled.”
Experts Opinion[]
Voters believe that while Nai had soldiery training and good kicking skills, he was still no match for the British pugilist. Daniel Mendoza proved to be too quick and fast for the upright Nai, and his grappling, equipment and punches offered more than Nai, who focused too much on kicking and clinching. In the end, old-school boxing proved to be superior to Muay Boran.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Battle vs. Milo of Croton (by 123chaseyoung)[]
None.
Expert's Opinion[]
Daniel Mendoza won because he has the best weapons and martial arts. Milo is simply outclassed and obsolete.