Bill Richmond - Boxer

THE BLACK TERROR

BORN NAME
Bill Richmond
BIRTH DATE
Aug. 5, 1763
BIRTH PLACE
Cuckold's town
Richmond (Staten Island), NY
OCCUPATION
Boxer
KNOWN AS
The Black Terror
DIED
Dec. 29, 1829, England

Bill Richmond was a former slave who fought his way to the pinnacle of bare knuckle boxing in Britain at the early 19th century. He was nick-named the Black terror. Although boxing at this time was illegal it had mass appeal which earned Bill his own massive following.

read on to learn more about Bill Richmond........

The history of boxing, is also the history of a early America.
While fighting was common on the American frontier, boxing was uncommon. The history of boxing shows the first two American boxers, both blacks, made their names in England.

The first was Bill Richmond of Staten Island, who became a servant of Lord Percy, the general who commanded the British forces occupying New York during the Revolution. In a number of matches against British soldiers, Richmond was unbeaten and Percy took him to England in 1777.

Known as "Black Terror," Richmond knocked out his first Englishmen in just 25 seconds. Not much is known of his career from then until 1805, when the 41-year-old Richmond was knocked out by British champion Tom Cribb. Richmond continued boxing until he was 52.

 

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