The rise of popularity in Bare-knuckle prize fighting mirrored the complications, contradictions, and swift changes in society of 19th century United States, as Elliot Gorn interprets in his monograph The Manly Art: Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America. Despite the fact that prize fighting was never actually legalized, its popularity continued to grow from its introduction to America- as a result of Irish immigrants- and resulted in being one of the most popular sports throughout the nineteenth century, especially among working class males. Bare-knuckle prize fighting was not just a simple battle between two men, the fighting symbolized honor, class, and prowess. Although prize fighting tended to glorify violence in society, its cultural and social significance can not go unnoticed.…