Best ever veterans: No. 3 George Foreman

George Foreman was World Heavyweight Champion twice - two decades apart

One of the most remarkable things about Bill Richmond's career was that he was still fighting in his 50s (and this during an age when life expectancy was far lower than it is today).

Modern great Bernard Hopkins is, in a sense, Richmond's spiritual heir; a man of impressive self-control and dedication to the pugilistic arts who is still boxing despite his 'advanced' years.

Hopkins' recent acts of age-defying derring-do have, unsurprisingly, provoked much discussion and admiration. Although Sergey Kovalev widely outpointed the 49-year-old in November, Hopkins' achievements in winning a succession of 'world' championship fights in his late 40s is both notable and praiseworthy.

Richmond and Hopkin's amazing longevity got me thinking about who I would rank as the greatest veterans in fistic history (including bare-knuckle days, as well as the gloved era). 

With apologies to the likes of Bob Fitzsimmons, Jersey Joe Walcott and many other admirable vets who didn't quite make the cut, I've been counting down my top five.

Earlier this week I explained why George Maddox was my no. 5 choice and Archie Moore my no. 4. Today I present my no. 3...

3. George Foreman:

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote: "I once thought that there were no second acts in American lives, but there was certainly to be a second act to New York's boom days." In boxing terms, we can substitute 'George Foreman' for 'New York', for no pugilist has ever enjoyed such a dramatic 'second act' in his career as the 'Punchin' Preacher'.

In his fearsome, youthful pomp, 'Big George' was one of the most feared heavyweights of all time; a big, bad bogeyman who bludgeoned his way to 40-0 and the Heavyweight Championship while barely breaking into a sweat and wearing a seemingly omnipresent scowl.

However, Foreman's world fell apart in 1974 when he was on the receiving end of the magical fists and unparalleled mind games of Muhammad Ali in Zaire. By 1977, after a points loss to Jimmy Young, Foreman had quit boxing and found God.

Ten years later, needing money to support the youth centre he had founded, a tubby and now 38-year-old Foreman risked becoming a laughing stock when he launched an improbable comeback.

Despite widespread scepticism, he strung together a 24-fight winning streak (admittedly against largely weak opposition) that earned him a 1991 shot against then Heavyweight Champ Evander Holyfield. Foreman's stout and brave, but ultimately futile, challenge against the 'Real Deal' won him affection and admiration in fairly equal measure.

But the Foreman story was still not over.

Foreman kept fighting and three-and-a-half years later, new champ Michael Moorer alighted on Foreman as a lucrative but low-risk opponent for his first defence of the crown. In round ten of a contest he was losing, Foreman detonated an explosive short right-hand on Moorer's unexposed chin, the champion crumbled to the canvas and, at the age of 45 and a full two decades after losing the title to Ali, Foreman was once again World Heavyweight Champion.

It's an achievement that is so staggering, that twenty years later, it still seems unbelievable, as well as utterly inspirational. Foreman once claimed: "you've got to make a statement with your life. Otherwise you are just existing."

For Foreman, these words weren't just empty rhetoric - he lived them.

Best ever veterans: No. 4 Archie Moore

One of the most remarkable things about Bill Richmond's career was that he was still fighting in his 50s (and this during an age when life expectancy was far lower than it is today).

Modern great Bernard Hopkins is, in a sense, Richmond's spiritual heir; a man of impressive self-control and dedication to the pugilistic arts who is still boxing despite his 'advanced' years.

Hopkins' recent acts of age-defying derring-do have, unsurprisingly, provoked much discussion and admiration. Although Sergey Kovalev widely outpointed the 49-year-old in November, Hopkins' achievements in winning a succession of 'world' championship fights in his late 40s is both notable and praiseworthy.

Richmond and Hopkin's amazing longevity got me thinking about who I would rank as the greatest veterans in fistic history (including bare-knuckle days, as well as the gloved era). 

With apologies to the likes of Bob Fitzsimmons, Jersey Joe Walcott and many other admirable vets who didn't quite make the cut, I've been counting down my top five. Earlier this week I explained why George Maddox was my number 5 choice and today I present my no. 4...

4. Archie Moore:

'Old Archie Moore', as the then Cassius Clay famously labelled him, was a phenomenon. During a 25-year long professional career he fought in every decade from the 30s to the 60s. To put his longevity into historical perspective, Moore was born during World War I and didn't retire from the ring until John F. Kenndey was President.

Moore's first contest took place in 1938 and for years he was one of the most avoided light-heavyweights around - indeed he didn't get a world title shot until he was 36, whereupon he soundly beat Joey Maxim to be recognised as world champ.

By the time his career came to an end in 1963, Moore had assembled an incredible record of 185 wins, 23 loses and 10 draws, as well as a jaw-dropping 131 victories by KO. Known for his famous 'cross-armed' guard and sledgehammer punch, Moore not only dominated at light-heavy, but also fought many of the best heavyweights of the post-war era, including Rocky Marciano and Cassius Clay. 

Of his incredible longevity, and seeming addiction to the price ring, Moore once quipped: "I'm like the drunk in the bar who wants just one more for the road."

Post-boxing, Moore took up acting and was awarded numerous accolades - most sound judges rank him as either the greatest light-heavy of them all or right up there in the top five.

Best ever veterans: No. 5 George Maddox

One of the most remarkable things about Bill Richmond's career was that he was still fighting in his 50s (and this during an age when life expectancy was far lower than it is today).

Modern great Bernard Hopkins is, in a sense, Richmond's spiritual heir; a man of impressive self-control and dedication to the pugilistic arts who is still boxing despite his 'advanced' years.

Hopkins' recent acts of age-defying derring-do have, unsurprisingly, provoked much discussion and admiration. Although Sergey Kovalev widely outpointed the 49-year-old in November, Hopkins' achievements in winning a succession of 'world' championship fights in his late 40s is both notable and praiseworthy.

Richmond and Hopkin's amazing longevity got me thinking about who I would rank as the greatest veterans in fistic history (including bare-knuckle days, as well as the gloved era). 

With apologies to the likes of Bob Fitzsimmons, Jersey Joe Walcott and many other admirable vets who didn't quite make the cut, I'll be counting down my top five over the next few days, beginning today with number 5. (Don't worry, by the way, Mickey Rourke does not appear on the list...)

5. George Maddox:

A bit of a left-field choice this one ... Maddox was one of the unsung heroes of the Georgian bare knuckle era. Although he never acceded to the championship, in the estimation of the great boxing writer Pierce Egan he was one the finest pugilists never to win the title. Meanwhile, no less a man of letters than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said of Maddox in his novel Rodney Stone that he was "as good a man as ever pulled his coat off".

Truth be told, Maddox was more renowned for his epic defeats than his victories; he shared a titanic two-hour-ten-minute tussle with the legendary Tom Cribb in 1805 (when he was "in his fiftieth year"), and manfully took a fearsome beating from Bill Richmond in 1809 when in his mid-50s. Five years earlier, Maddox had defeated an inexperienced Richmond in nine rounds, one of two contests he won in a single afternoon!

Fighting was obviously in the Maddox family genes, for Egan recounts that George's sister Grace seconded him in a contest in 1776, at the conclusion of which she offered to fight any man present at the bout!

In all, Maddox's career lasted around 35 years, and to still be competing at the highest level in his 50s was a quite astonishing feat. Sadly, Maddox died not long after a benefit in his honour at the Fives Court in London. He fell heavily near to Borough Market and broke his thigh, which brought on a fever.

In Egan's words the illiterate but good-natured Maddox "lived respected and died pitied".

Thoughts on the best boxing veterans ever? Email lgw007@yahoo.com

Why Bill Richmond? And who is he anyway?

Bill Richmond: Illustration by Trevor Von Eeden

My forthcoming biography of Bill Richmond, Richmond Unchained, is a project that I've been planning and researching for over a decade now.

I can't quite believe that it is finally nearing completion and in less than a year's time will be published.

I started researching Richmond Unchained in 2003, during an otherwise idle afternoon at the British Newspaper Library in Colindale. There were two initial inspirations: one was the novel Black Ajax written by George MacDonald Fraser, and the other was the Channel 4 / Juniper TV documentary Bare Knuckle Boxer, which had been broadcast a few weeks earlier and spurred me to look up Richmond in the library's archive.

By the end of the day I'd found a fascinating article which convinced me that I simply HAD to write a full biography of Richmond's life. It's an article which I've never seen referred to in print anywhere before or since ... and you'll have to buy Richmond Unchained to read it in full and discover why I found it so fascinating! 

Now, some of you reading this blog may have no idea who Bill Richmond was. If that applies to you then I suggest you head to his Wikipedia page for a crash course and also watch the video links at the bottom of this page to the documentary mentioned above (although beware: both Wikipedia and the documentary contain several errors and perpetuate several myths which Richmond Unchained will be exploding next year).

As a companion to your crash course in Bill's background, here are five reasons why I believe that it's vitally important that you find out more about his amazing life ... and why, by extension, I decided to write this book in the first place ...

1. Bill Richmond was the first black sporting superstar:

Forget Jack Johnson, Joe Gans, Jesse Owens, Peter Jackson, Jackie Robinson etc ... well, don't forget about them, but place them to one side for a moment and take this fact on board: before Bill Richmond no black sportsman had achieved national significance or fame. At a time when slavery still existed in the USA (to a horrifying extent) and was also still legal within the British Empire, Richmond (a former slave himself) succeeded in becoming a respected and accomplished pugilist. His life and achievements are not only thrilling and fascinating, but tell us an awful lot about the social and cultural mores and context of the age in which he lived.

2. Bill Richmond has been traditionally overlooked:

Quite simply, not enough people know who Richmond was, what he achieved and why he is so important to our shared social, sporting and cultural heritage. Considering the form and content of (white dominated) history that we are traditionally fed through the school system and the mainstream media this is unsurprising, but that doesn't mean it's right! Bill Richmond and the many other pioneers of 'black history' are worthy of far more attention than they have been given in the past.

3. No one has ever written a biography of Bill Richmond:

Even given the inherent flaws and biases of historical discourse in the UK (and USA) I find this unbelievable. When I first found out about Bill Richmond I assumed there must have have been several books already written about his life, but in fact there have been none.

Zilch.

Zero.

Yes, we can buy all manner of books about former Big Brother contestants and X-Factor winners and runners-up, but there has never been a book about one of the most significant figures from black history.

Throughout the eleven long years that I've been researching Bill Richmond's life I lived in constant expectation that a Richmond biography would emerge, hit the book shelves and gazump my plans. But one never did.

And that's why, despite its seemingly interminable gestation period, Richmond Unchained will be the first Bill Richmond biography to ever be published. I'm proud of this, but also sort of ashamed.

4. We need to know more:

As you'll discover when you (hopefully) read Richmond Unchained there are still some mysterious gaps in his personal and familial history. I've uncovered LOTS of information for my book that has never before been revealed, discussed or discovered, but I'm sure there's more out there, hidden in dusty archives and locked trunks in mysterious attics which I'm hoping might see the light of day once Richmond Unchained is published and more people become interested in Bill's life.

5. It's a ripping yarn:

There are so many twists and turns in the Bill Richmond story that, regardless of its vast historical significance, it was a story that was begging to be told, purely on the basis of its dramatic potential.

Family mysteries and fairy-tale benefactors ... the scandal of 'inter-marriage' during an era characterised by rigid social barriers ... the thrill of combat in the bare-knuckle prize ring ... controversial championship fights ... racial abuse ... financial fallings-out ... encounters with Royalty ... yes, the Bill Richmond story has a narrative of which Charles Dickens would be proud!

Stick with this blog for more insights and background to Richmond Unchained over the next few months in the lead-up to the publication.

RICHMOND UNCHAINED TO PUBLISH IN AUGUST 2015

Bill Richmond: Illustration by Trevor Von Eeden

After the success of my previous books Masters of the Baize and Boxiana: Volume 1, I’m pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of my third book. RICHMOND UNCHAINED: The biography of the world’s first black sporting superstar, which will be published by one of the UK’s leading publishers of historical books, Amberley Publishing, in August 2015.

The publication of the book will be accompanied by a series of Bill Richmond related events as well as exclusive extra content and features relating to the book which will be published here on billrichmond.blogspot.co.uk

A synopsis of the project is included below:

RICHMOND UNCHAINED:
The biography of the world’s first black sporting superstar
By Luke G. Williams

Today the name of the bare-knuckle boxer Bill Richmond is largely unknown to the wider public, but he is one of the most significant sportsmen in history and was one of the most celebrated celebrities of the Georgian era. The fact no biography has ever been devoted to Richmond is startling, for the story of his life and career is a compelling and thrilling tale, played out against the backdrop of a series of significant historical events.

As one of the first black men to survive and thrive in white-dominated English society, Richmond is long overdue recognition as one of the key figures in sporting as well as social history. Born into slavery in Staten Island, New York during colonial rule, Richmond escaped from a life of servitude by winning his freedom as a young boy and carved a new life for himself in England as a cabinet-maker and then a renowned and widely respected prize-fighter and trainer.

From his humble origins, Richmond, through force of will and personality, fought his way to the top table of British society, ultimately fulfilling an official role at the coronation celebrations of King George IV in 1821. Richmond’s amazing life encompassed encounters and relationships with some of the most prominent men of the age, including the progressive Earl Percy, the writer William Hazlitt, the dissolute Prince Regent and the wild and untameable Lord Camelford.

The story of Bill Richmond is not only an incredible tale of personal advancement and triumph, but also the story of a life which was shaped, informed and influenced by a series of turbulent historical events – including the American War of Independence, the fight for black emancipation and Britain’s long-running conflict with the Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Luke G. Williams’ biography, the first full-length account of Richmond's life, utilises over a decade of research on both sides of the Atlantic, revealing details, sources and new facts about Richmond’s life that have never before been published. In separating myth from fact and legend from reality, for the first time, the full story of Bill Richmond’s life and times is brought gloriously to life.

Richmond Unchained will feature illustrated material from the Georgian period, as well as new and exclusive illustrations by acclaimed American artist Trevor Von Eeden.