原文
Boxing matches were very popular in England two hundred years ago. In those days, boxers fought with bare fists for prize money. Because of this, they were known as 'prizefighters'. However, boxing was very crude, for these were no rules and a prizefighter could be seriously injured or even killed during a match.
One of the most colourful figures in boxing history was Daniel Mendoza, who was born in 1764. The use of gloves was not introduced until 1860, when the Marquis of Queensberry drew up the first set of rules. Though he was technically a prizefighter, Mendoza did much to change crude prizefighting into a sport, for he brought science to the game. In this day, Mendoza enjoyed tremendous popularity. He was adored by rich and poor alike.
Mendoza rose to fame swiftly after a boxing match when he was only fourteen years old. This attracted the attention of Richard Humphries who was then the most eminent boxer in England. He offered to train Mendoza and his young pupil was quick to learn. In fact, Mendoza soon became so successful that Humphries turned against him. The two men quarrelled bitterly and it was clear that the argument could only be settled by a fight. A match was held at Stilton, where both men fought for an hour. The public bet a great deal of money on Mendoza, but he was defeated. Mendoza met Humphries in the ring on a later occasion and he lost for a second time. It was not until his third match in 1790 that he finally beat Humphries and became Champion of England. Meanwhile, he founded a highly successful Academy and even Lord Byron became one of his pupils. He earned enormous sums of money and was paid as much as $100 for a single appear one of his pupils. He earned enormous sums of money and was paid as much as $100 for a single appearance. Despite this, he was so extravagant that he was always in debt. After he was defeated by a boxer called Gentleman Jackson, he was quickly forgotten. He was sent to prison for failing to pay his debts and died in poverty in 1836.
译文
二百年前，拳击比赛在英国非常流行。那时，拳击手们赤手空拳为奖金而战。因此，他们被称为“奖金拳击手”。然而，拳击非常粗野，因为没有规则，一名奖金拳击手在比赛中可能受重伤甚至丧命。
拳击史上最引人注目的人物之一是丹尼尔·门多萨，他生于1764年。手套的使用直到1860年才被引入，那时昆斯伯里侯爵（注：Marquis of Queensberry）制定了第一套规则。尽管从技术上讲他是一名奖金拳击手，门多萨却为将粗野的拳击转变为一项运动做出了巨大贡献，因为他给这项运动带来了科学性。在他那个时代，门多萨享有极大的声望。他深受富人和穷人的喜爱。
门多萨在十四岁时参加一场拳击比赛后迅速成名。这引起了当时英国最著名的拳击手理查德·汉弗莱斯的注意。他提出训练门多萨，而这位年轻的弟子学得很快。事实上，门多萨很快取得巨大成功，以至于汉弗莱斯与他反目。两人激烈争吵，显然这场争端只能通过拳击来解决。一场在斯蒂尔顿举行的比赛中，两人战斗了一个小时。公众在门多萨身上下了巨额赌注，但他失败了。门多萨在后来的场合再次与汉弗莱斯交锋，并再次失利。直到1790年的第三场比赛，他才最终击败汉弗莱斯，成为英格兰冠军。同时，他创办了一个非常成功的学院，甚至拜伦勋爵也成为他的学生。他赚取了巨额财富，一次露面就能获付100美元。尽管如此，他挥霍无度，总是债台高筑。在被一位名叫“绅士杰克逊”的拳击手击败后，他很快被遗忘。他因无力偿债而入狱，并于1836年贫困潦倒地逝世。
词汇表
boxing
名词, 动词例子: Boxing has been a popular sport for centuries.
例子: He trains in boxing to improve his fitness.
例子: Boxing the books took the whole afternoon.
例子: The company specializes in the boxing of fragile items.