Champion Black Boxers and Businessmen in 1800s London – A Tribute to Bill Richmond and Tom Molineaux – 15 April, UCL

Generations before Bob Travers and Plantagenet Green, then Hezekiah Moscow, Alec Munroe, Jack Davenport, Albert Pearce, Felix Scott or Jem Haines after them, came the trailblazers, Bill Richmond and Tom Molineaux or Molyneaux: African-American men who fought their way to sporting celebrity in early 1800s England.

Thanks to a decade of research and lobbying by Black History Walks – established by Tony Warner in 2007 – Richmond (1763 – 1829) and his star trainee, the Championship contender Molineaux (who died a tragically young 34 in 1818), are set to be honoured with an official Blue Plaque in Trafalgar Square, London.

The site of the National Gallery has been chosen to mark the former location of a pub owned by Richmond. Like many boxers before and since, he went into the trade. But as a Black business owner in early-1800s London he was, again, a trailblazer.

Both men had a huge impact on boxing history. Books have been written about their exploits and legacy; Professor David Olusoga recognised Richmond in his book and 2016 BBC TV show Black and British, A Forgotten History; and they are referenced in Bridgerton and A Thousand Blows (in the scene where Munroe is training Moscow and encouraging him to aspire to glory!).

Richmond and Molineaux have featured on Black History Walks’ tours for 20 years but there has so far been no physical memorial to them as boxers, or to Richmond’s business.

I’m really proud to be sitting on a panel at an event to mark the granting of permission for the plaque. Fundraising for it is still ongoing, with donations extremely welcome via GoFundMe.

While no expert in Georgian boxers or Molineaux or Richmond specifically, I hope to be able to talk a little on the generations of Black boxers who came after them, and to discuss A Thousand Blows and the true histories of the men who inspired it.

Please join us at UCL’s large auditorium at the Cruciform Building, London, 15 April 2026, 6.30pm.

• Luke G. Williams, author of Richmond Unchained, the first and only book on Bill Richmond’s life (copies on sale on the day)
• S.I Martin, historian and author of seven books, including Incomparable World about African Americans in 19th Century London
• Roberto Nigro (UCL), historian of pugilism, masculinities and nationalism – and a fellow Goldsmiths MA History graduate!
• Sarah Elizabeth Cox, historical adviser on the TV show A Thousand Blows and author of a forthcoming book on Hezekiah Moscow, other 1880s boxers, and the dying days of bareknuckle boxing
• Tony Warner, Black History Walks founder and organiser of the fundraiser for the blue plaque

TICKETS ARE FREE AND CAN BE BOOKED HERE