"Sparked by the true story of London's first female bare-knuckle prize fighter, this brilliant novel blazes with survival, sisterhood and surprising bonds of love."
Thrillingly entertaining, and radiant with unexpected floodings of the heart, along with the magic of folks who put their lives on the line for one another, Gillie Basson’s Undefeated is gloriously gratifying. Pugilism has never been so exhilaratingly portrayed, and rarely has a story of 18 th -century grit, corruption, sisterhood and survival been so fulfillingly told.
Often described as an “Amazonian virago”, female fighter Elizabeth resolves to change her life when her husband is hanged for murder: “With Robert gone, I’ve decided to leave the fighting world and try to start afresh. If only a fresh start would present itself. The only thing fresh is the tankard of gin in front of me”.
Trouble is, Elizabeth simply loves fighting: “I like punching someone in the face. It’s a useful release from everything else. All my life, it seems, all I’ve known is fighting”, so even after finding unfulfilling employment as a seamstress, its lure is hard to resist, not least when 11- year-old pickpocket Halfinch keeps turning up to tell her what a fighter she is, and how she doesn’t belong in a haberdashery, But, in typically Mae-West-quipping style, Elizabeth tries to stick to her guns: “I’m my own woman and my choices are my own — even if they are the wrong ones.”
As things turn out, Elizabeth finds a new trainer and manages to stay off the gin to become Championess of England. Her transformation from a very hard drinking, very hard hitting, straight-talking loner to a still-hard hitting, still-straight-talking woman of huge heart and compassion is absolutely joyous, albeit through a succession of tragic injustices that’ll have you reaching for a big box of tissues. What a knockout of a novel.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
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Closing date: 02/08/2026
A novel inspired by London's first ever female bare-knuckle prize fighter
‘I remember the first time I hit someone.’
In the gritty world of 18th-century London, Elizabeth Wilkinson-Stokes rises from the depths of poverty to become a legend in her own time. When her abusive husband’s execution leaves her alone in the merciless streets of St Giles, Elizabeth is thrust into a London she never knew existed. From bear-baiting pits to brothels, from underground fight clubs to grand amphitheatres, she battles her way through a world where every punch could be her last.
Elizabeth fights with fists, cudgels and daggers, earning the title of Championess of England. But in a city where corruption runs as deep as the Thames, she must learn that the hardest fight of all is for a life worth living.
Undefeated reimagines the riveting tale of the world's first female bare-knuckle prize fighter, a woman who fought not just in the ring, but for her very survival.
Step into the ring with Elizabeth Wilkinson-Stokes and experience a fight you’ll never forget.
Undefeated features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Debuts, Star Books, Historical Fiction, Fiction
Undefeated is available in Paperback
Undefeated was written by Gillie Basson and published by Whitefox Publishing Ltd
£10.79
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