Thomas Fewtrell believes he could be one of the greatest boxers England has ever seen if only he could shake off his criminal past. In the boxing ring he is an unstoppable God of power and speed, fighting in a style of his own making that no one in 18th century England has ever seen the likes of before, a hero to both peasant and prince alike. Yet on the moonlit highway he becomes little more than a shadow, a dark-cloaked ghost amongst the tree line awaiting his prey, easy pickings. Highway robbery is his business and business is good. However, a bungled midnight hold-up sparks a bizarre chain of events which soon begin to spiral out of control. Thomas, the two women he is torn between and his fellow highwayman are drawn deep into a brutal underworld inhabited by villains and perverted aristocracy. Thomas realises all too late that he may not only have to fight for his life and that of his companions but for the very crown of England itself.

Inspired by real events, people and places, Punch Drunk is a gripping, witty and at times, violent glimpse into the life, loves and times of one of Britain’s greatest, yet least known boxers, the notorious Thomas Fewtrell, the gentleman jawbreaker.