The Disney+ drama A Thousand Blows transports viewers back to the gritty world of 1880s east London, introducing subscribers to the likes of ruthless boxer Henry 'Sugar' Goodson.
Created by the genius behind Peaky Blinders, Steven Knight, the show presents an intense portrayal of a time when The Forty Elephants gang and its fearsome leader Mary Carr, played by Erin Doherty, ruled the roost, and the formidable boxer Sugar Goodson, brought to life by Stephen Graham, instilled fear in all.
However, with the arrival of Hezekiah Moscow – portrayed by Malachi Kirby – doubts began to circulate about Sugar's claim to being the best fighter in east London, sending him into a downward spiral.
As the show lines up for a second series, subscribers are itching to uncover the truth about the mysterious real-life figure of Henry "Sugar" Goodson.
Born in Brick Lane in 1856, Sugar was but one of thirteen children born to Edward Saunders Goodman, a Master Carman, and Sarah.
When Edward passed away, Sugar's siblings took care of the family's property leases in Seven Stars Yard, while Henry and his brother Thomas threw their fists into boxing, earning the monikers Sugar and Treacle – origins of which remain unknown.
The setting of A Thousand Blows, the year 1882, coincides with the historical entrance of the actual Hezekiah Moscow to London's boxing scene.
And while Stephen Graham may have been approaching 50 during shooting, the real Sugar was just 26-years -ld at that moment in time.
Both Sugar and Graham being the same height at just over 5ft 5in with the real fighter even taking part in heavyweight competitions despite his height.
Historian Sarah Elizabeth Cox, who is behind Grappling With History, however, suggests that Goodson wasn't as violent as depicted by Graham.
"We know that the real Sugar Goodson was a bit of a 'bad boy' - he's regularly in trouble with the law, sometimes for barefist or allegedly barefist fights, sometimes for drunkenness of violence outside the ring" Cox said.
"But that was the reality of these men's lives in a really tough time and place. I don't think the evidence shows him to have been quite as violent as some of Graham's scenes suggest.
"Goodson never bit anything off anybody's face! It makes great TV though, doesn't it?
"I just think it's an amazing thing that well over 100 years since his death, the name Sugar Goodson is famous again."
Despite contracting Small Pox, which led to the loss of one eye—or possibly due to a boxing injury, the exact cause remains unclear—Sugar didn't let this setback hinder his boxing career.
Cox notes that many fighters of the era, such as Albert Pearce and Jack Davenport, competed with impaired vision or with just one eye.
Much like in A Thousand Blows, Sugar and Treacle used to host boxing nights at The Blue Coat Boy pub on Dorset Street, where Spitalfields Market stands today.
Goodson was known to occasionally fight bare-knuckle or with thin skin gloves, but he was more accepting of the new rules and was a gloved boxer.
And even though he was well-known, Sugar never made it among the "top tier" fighters. Cox, founder of the Grappling With History site, stated that he "wasn't what you would describe as 'legendary' or a 'celebrity'."
However, Goodson did make some history in 1882 when he participated in a notorious prize fight in a deconstructed chapel off Tavistock Square.
He fought against Jack Hicks, who was nearly three decades his senior, for a silver cup reportedly worth £100.
According to Grappling With History, "Hicks led off round three, landing blows to Goodson's belly, ribs and face before Goodson crossed his man on the cheek."
The match was about to end when the police raided the chapel and a crowd had gathered outside to watch the action, leading to fights breaking out.
Goodson was one of the 10 men arrested and taken away in handcuffs, causing quite a stir, especially as the Home Secretary at the time was eager to crackdown on illicit prize fighting.
Outside the boxing realm, Goodson found love with Ann Smith when they got hitched at St James, Shoreditch, back in 1876, going on to raise several kids, with son Edward—affectionately called Ted—carrying on the family boxing tradition.
Goodson's died in Chingford during August 1917, with the Evening Dispatch paying tribute to the retired fighter: "He was a good boxer, if not particularly clever, was Sugar Goodson, and a good fellow, if a rough diamond."
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