Considered the first international prize fight to attract widespread publicity, the event pitted Tom Sayers, a scrappy 152 pound Englishman, against American Champion John Carmel Heenan, with Sayers giving up 46 pounds. Such bare-knuckle contests continued until only one man remained standing and, early on, Sayers had his right arm broken while blocking a punch. In the eighth round, Heenan broke his left hand. And so it went, until Round 37, when Heenan pummeled Sayers into the ropes and appeared on the verge of victory. But someone cut the rope, the fighters fell, and the crowd surged into the ring. After order was restored, the fighters continued for another five rounds, until the fight was finally called a draw. The epic struggle was celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic, both in popular songs and by many colorful prints. The print now on offer, entitled “The International Contest Between Heenan and Sayers at Farnborough, on the 17th of April, 1860” is justly famous, “Containing upward of 250 portraits from photographs taken especially for this work,” which fill in the crowd in a highly realistic manner. Drawn by noted artist W.L. Walton, the print was simultaneously published in both London and New York, to great acclaim. The scene, depicting the unbloodied / unbroken early rounds, is a pugilistic classic, with great detail in the faces of the crowd, the grassy ring, and the bare trees and surrounding countryside. Lithograph, 41 x 30”, framed under glass. Condition is VG, with some cracks but no surface loss, and a bit of water damage visible in the extreme lower left corner. Color is quite strong and very little damage intrudes on the central image.