Bill Richmond
Encyclopedia
Bill Richmond was an African American boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

, born a slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

 in Cuckold's Town (now Richmondtown
Richmondtown, Staten Island
Richmondtown, is a neighborhood on Staten Island in New York City, New York, in the United States.Originally known as Coccles Town because of the abundance of oyster and clam shells found in the waters of the nearby Fresh Kills, Richmondtown gained its present name in 1728 when the village now...

), Staten Island, New York. His nickname was 'The Black Terror'.

Richmond was the servant of Lord Percy, the Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland
The Duke of Northumberland is a title in the peerage of Great Britain that has been created several times. Since the third creation in 1766, the title has belonged to the House of Percy , which held the title of Earl of Northumberland from 1377....

, during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, who took him to England in 1777. On September 26, 1776, Richmond was the hangman who executed Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale was a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City but was captured by the British...

. Later, Richmond was sent to school in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

 and apprenticed to a cabinet maker in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...

. However, he made his career as a boxer, narrowly losing to later British and world champion Tom Cribb
Tom Cribb
Tom Cribb was an English bare-knuckle boxer of the 19th century, so successful that he became world champion. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.-Life:...

. After his retirement from boxing, he bought the Horse and Dolphin pub in Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...

 and set up a boxing academy.

Richmond received no boxing tutoring and was entirely self-taught. By today's standards, Richmond, who weighed between 140 lbs, would have been a welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...

, and yet he often fought men who weighed 4 to 5 st (25.4 to 31.8 kg) heavier than himself. He had excellent footwork and quick hands, which enabled him to avoid the big punches and outwork bigger fighters. This was demonstrated in his fight with Tom Cribb, who was unable to land a punch in the early rounds. However, Cribb's superior weight and power eventually caught up with Richmond, who lost in the 60th round.

He was also a friend and coach of Tom Molineaux
Tom Molineaux
Tom Molineaux was a African-American bare-knuckle boxer. He spent much of his career in Great Britain and Ireland, where he had some notable successes.-Early life:...

, another freed slave who took up boxing in England and fought Cribb twice for the title of world champion.

He died at his home in London, England in 1829.

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