The Devils' Dance Floor

Through the gripping life-stories of men like Hezekiah Moscow and Henry 'Sugar' Goodson, The Devils' Dance Floor charts the decline of bareknuckle boxing over the 1880s. As the extraordinary stories unravel Cox provides a personal-scale view of the melting pot of Victorian London – exploring subjects from crime, policing and healthcare to the press, the establishment and popular entertainment. Many of the boxers we meet originate from London’s East End, but also from the north of England, as well as the US and the Caribbean. With drama and wit Cox writes of a rapidly changing world and whilst each of the fighters has a unique story to tell, each one of them illuminates something of the society we now live in.