Len Johnson: The boxer with 93 wins who could never become British champion

Johnson died in 1974, aged 71. His struggles and successes might speak of a different time, but there is also a great relevance with the present day.

The Old Abbey Taphouse is now a community pub, where the legend of Johnson and Wilf is celebrated. This October, during Black History Month, it is hosting a conference where members of Johnson’s family are expected to attend as well as historians and actors who appeared in Fighter, a play about his life.

There is also a campaign for a monument be built in his honour, in the city he helped change.

Supporters speak of the recent success behind a similar movement in Plymouth, where crowd funding raised £100,000 to erect a statue of Jack Leslie, the footballer who in 1925 was dropped from the England team when selectors discovered he was black.

Deej Malik-Johnson, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter Manchester, has led the push by spreading the word about Johnson and managing an online petition.

“He was always there supporting people,” Malik-Johnson says. “Like so many, he was doing what was right but not getting the rewards for it. For him to finally get that recognition would be huge.”

Manchester actor and fellow campaigner Lamin Touray is a member of Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club, where it is believed Johnson briefly worked.

“He’s relatively unknown in Manchester and relatively unknown in the UK,” Touray says. “He should be a national treasure.

“He’s had nearly 130 fights, winning 93. He is essentially the British Muhammad Ali – so the fact that we don’t know who he is, it’s shocking.

“He was a fighter in and out of the ring and I think that’s what’s really important to remember.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham feels Johnson’s story “absolutely needs to be told and celebrated”, while the leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese, is also open to the idea of a monument in the city.

“I think it would be great to have a statue of Len Johnson in Manchester,” says Sir Richard.

“My colleague Luthfur Rahman, who is our executive member for statues, is doing a review and look at what we’ve got and what we haven’t got so that we do have public representations that really do represent the whole history of the city.”

The boxing booths taught Johnson to take on all comers, whoever the opponent, and that filtered through into all areas of his life.

Although denied his place as a champion in sport, no one can deny his legacy, which continues to inspire today. Maybe that’s no surprise for a man who was ahead of his time.