A boxer who fought racism in the ring and on the streets.
Ireland and Sierra Leone — his mother’s Irish heritage, his father’s home country
Manchester — the campaign
Len Johnson won 95 of his 134 professional fights. He beat British champions, and was never once allowed to fight for a British title, because he was Black.
He spent the rest of his life in Moss Side, organising — against the unwritten colour bars in Manchester's pubs and hotels, against the sacking of Black seamen who had served through two world wars, for the children of his own streets. A petition begun in 2020 is now a campaign to put him in the city centre in bronze.
Read Len's story →Contents
The Archive
Dive into his life story, meet the champions supporting the campaign, discover the events that keep his memory alive, and explore the gallery of moments that define this movement.
