Tom Cribb

Tom Cribb (1781-11 May 1848) was an English bare-knuckle boxer of the 19th century, so successful that he became world champion.

Born in the Hanham area of Bristol, Cribb moved to London at the age of 13 and after working as a bell-hanger got work as a coal porter in Wapping.

His first fight was on 7 January 1805 at Wood Green in north London. Victory here, followed by another a month later, persuaded him to become a professional pugilist, under the supervision of Captain Robert Barclay. In 1809, Cribb was awarded the British title. He then fought a black American, former slave Thomas Molyneux, to become world champion – a defeat he repeated in 1810.

In 1812, aged 31, he retired to become a coal merchant (and part-time boxing trainer). Later he became a publican (running the Union Arms, Panton Street, close to Haymarket in central London).

In 1839 he retired to Woolwich in south-east London where he died in 1848 aged 67. He was buried in the churchyard of St Mary's and St Andrew's, Woolwich – where a monument to his memory was erected.