Aged 19, Jackson 'became a frequenter of the sparring schools, and displayed such talents as proved that he was destined to eclipse the most favoured of his contemporaries [...] He soon found patrons of the highest grade'.

A near contemporary account of the fight records as follows: Fewterel was a man of extremely great bulk, so much so, that at first setting to it was doubted whether Jackson would be able to knock him down, but this he never failed to do, whenever he could make good his blows.

The contemporary report of the fight ran as follows: At first setting to, betting was even; Jackson gave the first knockdown blow, and before the fourth round odds changed to seven to four in his favour, when, from the stage being wetted by rain, Jackson slipped down, dislocated his ankle and broke the small bone of his leg; in consequence of this unfortunate accident, he was obliged to give in, and the Brewer was declared victorious.

The bout took place on Monday, April 15, at Hornchurch, Essex, and was fought on a stage erected in a natural hollow capable of accommodating upwards of 3,000 spectators.

The fight started slowly, with a minute elapsing before a blow was struck, but by the third round Mendoza appeared to have the better of Jackson with bets now being made at 2-1 in his favour.

[10] After his victory over Mendoza, Jackson's public profile allowed him to open a boxing academy for gentlemen at 13 Bond Street, in the West End of London, where he also resided.

[12][13] Byron related in his diary that he regularly received instruction in boxing from Jackson, and even mentioned him in a note to the 11th Canto of his poem Don Juan.

Mendoza challenged him to a re-match in 1800, but Jackson responded in a letter published in 'Oracle, or Daily Advertiser' on December 1, 1801, stating that he had retired from the ring - this apparently having been his first public statement to this effect.

The Pugilistic Club also served as a mediator and decision maker of last resort in the event of disagreements arising between prizefighters or their financial backers.

When Jackson died, on 7 October 1845, at his home at 4 Lower Grosvenor St. West, in the Mayfair district of London, he was said to be holding the hand of his beloved niece and adopted daughter, Elizabeth.

Byron referred to Jackson as the "Emperor of Pugilism", and the leading prizefight reporter, Pierce Egan, writing in Boxiana declared him to be the "fixed star" of the "Pugilistic Hemisphere".

The idea that Jackson was English Champion from 1795 (when he defeated Daniel Mendoza) to 1800 appears to date from Hennings's very unreliable 1902 book Fights for the Championship which included much text invented by the author.

In the artist Sir Thomas Lawrence's 1797 exhibition at the Royal Academy, an enormous painting of Satan Summoning His Legions, was based upon a giant portrait of the muscular Jackson.

[citation needed] Jackson features as a character in Rodney Stone, a Gothic mystery and boxing novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

[citation needed] The characters of boxing opponents Jackson and Daniel Mendoza have minor but important roles in the 1942 British film The Young Mr.

[citation needed] In August 2020 Jackson was featured in the BBC Radio 4 programme The Long View, in which he was compared to modern day footballer Marcus Rashford.