Charcoal, watercolour and gouache over pencil on pale grey laid paper Signed with initials, lower right 46 x 26.5 cm. (18 1/8 x 10 1/2 in) Arthur Frederick 'Peggy' Bettinson (1862-1926) is considered one of the founders of modern boxing. He began as a fighter, becoming the ABA lightweight champion in 1882. In 1887, he co-founded the Pelican Club, in Covent Garden, to host boxing events which would appeal to a higher class of audience, including royalty. This led to the foundation of the National Sporting Club with John Fleming in 1891, based at the same premises. With the formation of the NSC came a radical tightening of the Queensberry rules, which included the introduction of standardised divisions and weight limits, the insistance on gloves being worn, and giving the authority to British title bouts, as well as introducing championship belts donated by its first president, Lord Lonsdale. The present lot, drawn by Wallace Hester, a regular artist for Vanity Fair in the early 20th century, was reproduced in its series 'Men of the Day', number 2247, in November 1911.