He gained fame for successfully lasting four rounds against John L. Sullivan, the de facto heavyweight champion, in 1882.
[4] In October 1878 he was tried and convicted for aiding and abetting an illegal prize-fight at Aylestone, where he acted as second to one of the contestants, and for assaulting the police when it was broken up.
Richard K. Fox of the Police Gazette arranged for Wilson to travel to New York to compete against John L. Sullivan, the undefeated American champion, at Madison Square Garden in July 1882.
[12] His business declined in later years, and in 1891 he was working as a fish seller, when he was fined 5s after a fight in a Leicester pub.
[16] Arthur Wilson, a Royal Navy officer who was awarded the Victoria Cross in the Sudan in 1884, was nicknamed "Tug" by his sailors in reference to the boxer.