I've read a lot of accounts, heard songs, anecdotal accounts of men boxing for dozens, even hundreds of rounds back in earlier days. How accurate is this? Could people box for hours on end without serious concussions or damaging themselves. Or was it as debilitating as modern boxing matches, with serious consequences afterwards?
Without gloves, bareknuckle fighters didn't hit the head very often; they couldn't risk breaking their hands. There were a lot of body hits, and broken ribs and noses, but it wasn't like modern boxing where the head is such a target.
In a recent BBC History magazine, there was reference to Tom Molineaux and Tom Cribb fighting to the 35th round, although this link refers to the 39th round.