New York Illustrated News. Boxing: The 1860 Championship Fight. by BOXING: HEENAN & SAYERS / ATHLETICS) - 03-17- 1860.

03-17- 1860.. Single issue of the New York Illustrated News; March 17, 1860; 16 pp in length measuring approximately 16 x 12 inches. The front page is stained with spots from an unknown source, back page is almost detached; interior in very good clean condition. The newspaper features a front-page illustration of actress Ada Isaacs Menken "the wife of John C. Heenan, the Benecia Boy." Menken, an actress, achieved notoriety for appearing nude (flesh-colored body stocking) in Lord Byron's drama Mazeppa, in which she was strapped naked to the back of a horse which raced up a ramp and off-stage. The newspaper offers the first entry in a extensive biographical article which ends with the phrase "to be continued." Also featured are details relating to the upcoming "Great Prize Fight" and an essay titled "The Athletic Sports in America" which is illustrated with 10 wood engravings. Five illustrations depict individual training techniques (dumb bells, etc.) while the other five illustrate training involving a partner. Text relating to these illustrated sports activities appears on the last page of the newspaper. An uncommon ephemeral item featuring one of the outsized personalities of the day, "Ada Isaacs Menken, the wife of the Benecia Boy, Champion of America." .