谁是“Daniel Mendoza”?

        在三册21课中出现了一位拳击史上的传奇人物：Daniel Mendoza。限于篇幅，课文中对他的身世及传奇般的经历讲得并不详细，下面我引用一段文章，可以加深朋友们对这位拳击手及相关历史的了解，文章写得很好，也可以当作我们练习阅读的好素材。为了帮助大家读懂，我在文中作了部分诠释。延隆

An eighteenth century legend, Mendoza continues to be one of the most fabled（=legendary 传说中的，著名的）fighters to ever compete in a ring（=boxing ring 拳击台）.  The first Jewish（犹太的）boxer to become a champion (1792-1795), Daniel introduced the modern science of boxing, with an approach that included footwork（步法）, sparring（搏击）, defense, and strategy that replaced the brutal slugging（=punching 用拳重击）of the previous era.  Although a natural middleweight（中量级） (5'7", 160 pounds), Mendoza fought heavyweights（重量级选手）, and became champion by learning to keep his bigger opponents at a distance as he moved about the ring. In the process, Mendoza changed the sport. He observed（说，发表看法，不要译为“观察”，这一点我在四册第十课讲过）in 1820 that "I think I have a right to call myself the father of the science, for it is well known that prize fighting lay dormant（系表结构，“一直默默无闻，不为人注意”）for several years. It was myself and [Richard] Humphries who revived（使复活）it in our three contests for supremacy（最高地位）, and the science of pugilism（拳击的另一种说法）has been patronized（patronize vt. 光临、惠顾）ever since."

The late 18th Century was a time of social and political upheaval（动荡，巨变）. Boxing was gaining widespread acceptance, and Mendoza became boxing's first superstar. A hero to England's Jewish community, Mendoza's status in English society as a national cult figure（“cult figure”: 众人膜拜的对象，偶像）made him one of the most influential Jews（犹太人）in history. A book titled The 100 Most Influential Jews of All Time ranks Mendoza No. 82, the highest-rated athlete on the list; he is considered more influential than Harry Houdini（哈里.胡迪尼：幻象大师，享誉国际的脱逃艺术家，能不可思议的自绳索、脚镣及手铐中脱困，他同时也是以魔术方法戳穿所谓“通灵术”的反伪科学先驱。哈里·胡迪尼于1874年出生在匈牙利布达佩斯市的一个犹太人家庭。), Marc Chagall（马克·夏卡尔,1887 年出生在俄国的维切布斯克一个贫穷的犹太人家庭,他是现代绘画史上的伟人，游离于印象派、立体派、抽象表现主义等一切流派之间。）, and Bob Dylan（呵呵，这个人不用多说了吧，鲍勃.迪伦，摇滚乐时代最有影响的歌手和歌曲创作者，也是犹太人）, among others（注意，这里不要译为“在其他人之间”，而应译为“以及其它的一些人”，这个短语的译法我在四册的讲解中有所涉及）. The descendant of Portugese（葡萄牙的）Jews, he spoke Hebrew（希伯来语）and insisted on being billed（bill vt. 以海报宣传；列入节目单）as "Mendoza the Jew."（“犹太人门多萨”）In 1812, boxing historian Pierce Egan wrote in his study, Boxiana, that Mendoza was not "the Jew that Shakespeare drew, yet he was that Jew." （呵呵，俺在这里要啰嗦几句：这句话要理解起来需要一点知识，也要动动脑筋。字面意思是“门多萨并不是莎士比亚笔下的那个犹太人（Jew与drew谐音），然也他又是那个犹太人”。莎翁笔下的犹太人显然是指《威尼斯商人》中惟利是图、冷酷无情的放高利贷者犹太人夏洛克，他与门多萨当然不是同一个人。但是，他们都在一生中与人争斗，心中充满了复仇情节，并且他们都曾辉煌而最终下场凄凉，从这个意义上讲他们又象是同一个人，故有此说。）

Birth and Death Dates:

b. July 5, 1764 - d. September 3, 1836

Career Highlights:

From his youth, Mendoza got into fights, as he defended fellow Jews from the insults and threats of their gentile（非犹太人的）neighbors. He lost a job as a glazier（装玻璃的工人）when he thrashed（痛打）his boss's son in a fight. Then, while working in a tea shop, Mendoza defended his employer against a disgruntled（不满的，愠怒的） porter（脚夫，搬运工，新概念二册出现过）who appeared ready to attack. Only 16 years old at the time, Daniel defeated the porter in 15 minutes. Among the surprised spectators was Richard Humphries, "The Gentleman Boxer," who felt he had discovered a worthy protege（法语，“门生，受提携的人”）.

Humphries trained Mendoza for the lad's first prize fight, which took place in 1784. Mendoza defeated Harry The Coalheaver in 40 rounds; the time was 1 hour and 58 minutes. He lost a bout（一回，一次） to Tom Tyne in 1786, but he then beat Sam Martin -- in 20 minutes -- in

April 1787. While training for his next fight, Mendoza had a falling out with his mentor（导师） Humphries（"have a falling-out (with sb)" 与某人恶吵）. On September 9, the two men got into a public argument at the Cock Tavern in Epping Forest, and went out back to settle things, but were stopped by police. Four months later, on January 9, 1788, they fought in a ring, and drew（吸引了）an amazing crowd of 60,000 people. The bout（这一次，这一回）was considered a terrific fight while it lasted; but to his disappointment, Mendoza slipped in the 28th minute and sprained his ankle, causing him to concede（认输）the contest.

"The Gentleman Boxer" （不妨译为：“君子拳”汉弗莱斯）taunted his former protege after the fight by calling him a coward. Mendoza responded that he would not fight again until his ankle was fully healed. This incensed（激怒） Humphries, and their feud（不合，争斗）became famous throughout England. Mendoza spent the next year perfecting（perfect vt. 使完善，四册第十课出现过）an innovative style of defense. In an era that allowed wrestling moves above the waist, and in which rounds were marked by knockdowns（击倒）, Mendoza used sidestepping（侧步躲闪）, a straight left（左直拳）, and special guarding techniques that his critics called "cowardly." More perceptive（观察敏锐的）observers understood that Mendoza, smaller than most of his opponents, was developing a defense that capitalized on（capitalize on sth，利用某事物; 从某事物中获利）his speed. This technique allowed him to rise to the top of his profession（职业的巅峰）. He not only became England's first national celebrity; he also changed boxing forever. In the process of doing so, Mendoza defeated his nemesis（原意指复仇女神，派生意指难缠的对手）, Humphries, in convincing fashion（以一种有说服力的方式）.

The Mendoza-Humphries rivalry, one of the most famous in the early history of boxing, showcased（展现，表现）the effectiveness of Mendoza's scientific approach in the ring. In May 1789, Mendoza and Humphries fought their long-awaited（被期待已久的）rematch at

Stilton, Huntingdonshire, in an amphitheater（圆形竞技场） built especially for the bout. Ignoring Humphries' taunts, Mendoza was patient as he dominated the fight, closing Humphries' right eye, and cutting him above the left eye. Humphries was literally（用以加强

语气）blinded, and swallowed quite a bit of blood before falling -- without being hit -- in the 65th round, after 50 minutes. The demand for a third and decisive meeting resulted in the two fighters meeting once more, in September, 1790. Again Mendoza proved the better man, achieving victory after 72 rounds (1 hour and 13 minutes). Humphries retired after the bout. But if it was the end of his career, it was the launching of Mendoza the Jew.

In 1787, Mendoza mixed with（mix with ... 与某人相处，交往）royalty when he became the first boxer to win the patronage of the Prince of Wales (later to become King George IV). After defeating Humphries the second time, he also became the first Jew to ever speak to King George III. Mendoza's acceptance by royalty helped elevate the position of Jews in English society. In 1792, his reputation was enhanced further, when he claimed the heavyweight championship after Ben Brain retired. Mendoza subsequently cemented（加强） his claim by defeating Bill Warr in only 23 rounds that May.

Hailed（欢呼）as a British hero, Mendoza's achievements countered（与...相反）the stereotypes（老套，旧模式）of English Jews typified by Shakepeare's Shylock（夏洛克）in The Merchant of Venice（《威尼斯商人》）. He spent three years as champion, touring Scotland and Ireland, and teaching the art of boxing to Celts（凯尔特人）and English nobles alike. Mendoza was the first to make boxing socially acceptable. In April 1795 though, his reign（统治时期）ended when he lost the title to "Gentleman" John Jackson. Mendoza's skill had steadily declined, and he faced a much larger opponent in the 5'11", 203-pound Jackson, who was able to walk through Mendoza's defense. Overwhelmed, Mendoza was punished severely; in the ninth-round, Jackson grabbed him by his hair and beat him senseless. Mendoza returned for one more round, but the bout was over in a little over ten minutes.

Following his loss to Jackson, Mendoza retired from the ring. He ran（经营，管理）his boxing academy, but unsuccessful business decisions forced him to make a comeback. In March 1806, Mendoza defeated Harry Lee in 53 rounds for a prize of 50 guineas（几尼，英国的旧金币）, and then travelled the country giving exhibitions before settling down in Kensington to run a tavern. He fought once more -- in 1812, at the age of 56 (!), against Tom Owen. In what was apparently an old grudge match（grudge match:不友好的比赛）, Mendoza lost in only 15 minutes. He retired for good after that fight, and remained a British icon until his death in 1836. In his later years, Mendoza wrote his memoirs（回忆录）, the first ever written by a boxer.

In 1954, 190 years after his birth, in America he had never seen, Mendoza was officially named one of the inaugural group of boxers elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame（拳击名人堂）. He was also selected to the inaugural class of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and is a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.