Why a boxer barred from becoming champion is being honoured

He was one of Britain's best boxers, but never became champion.

Born in Clayton, Manchester, in 1902, Len Johnson won more than 90 fights during his career but was barred from contesting the British title because of the colour of his skin.

He later channelled the fighting spirit he showed in the ring into campaigning against racism, becoming a trade unionist, civil rights activist and member of the Communist Party.

More than 50 years after his death, Johnson is set to become the first black person to be honoured with a statue in Manchester. But who was Len Johnson?

Despite having little boxing knowledge or training, he got his first taste of the sport after a fight at work prompted his father, a former boxer, to take him to a local contest.

A few weeks later, after training by skipping with an old washing line, he stepped into the ring for his first bout at the Alhambra Theatre in Openshaw.

Johnson came out on top, beating fellow teenager Jerry Hogan with a third-round knockout.

It marked the start of a career that would bring more than 90 victories.

Johnson's breakthrough came in 1925 when he defeated reigning British middleweight champion Roland Todd twice in seven months.

That same year, he also beat Ted 'Kid' Lewis, a boxer who Mike Tyson once described as "probably the greatest fighter to come out of Britain".

But despite beating some of the best fighters in the country, Johnson was barred from competing for the British title because the British Boxing Board of Control's Rule 24 restricted title contests to boxers "born of white parents".

Even after moving to Australia in 1926 and winning the Empire middleweight title, Johnson was told the achievement would not be recognised in England.

Speaking in 1930, he said: "I'm barred from the Albert Hall and the National Sporting Club. In fact, whenever there is big money, I'm kept out of it.

"The prejudice against colour has prevented me from getting a championship fight.

"I feel now that there is no use whatever going on with the business."

But Johnson's journey was not over.

After World War Two, he joined the Communist Party and became a recognised community leader in Moss Side, Manchester - acting as a local representative at the Pan-African Congress 1945 at Chorlton-upon-Medlock Town Hall.

It was a key moment for the movement that liberated many Africans from colonial rule.

His activism against racial discrimination continued throughout his life.

In 1953, Johnson was barred from the Old Abbey Taphouse, just south of Manchester city centre, under the "colour bar", which allowed pubs to refuse service to people based on their race.

In response, he and his friend Wilf Charles launched a campaign against the discrimination. The pair took their case to the mayor and returned to the pub with about 200 supporters and members of the press.

After the protest, Johnson was served by the landlady at the Old Abbey Taphouse despite not being a drinker.

The stand he took helped bring an end to the "colour bar" in pubs across Manchester, marking a significant moment in the city's fight against racial discrimination.

It was not until 1965 that racial discrimination in pubs was outlawed across the UK under the Race Relations Act.

Johnson died in 1974 aged 71.

For years, campaigners have been working to secure a permanent memorial to Johnson in the city where he was born and spent much of his life.

Led by Deej Malik-Johnson, the Len Johnson Campaign has raised funds through a number of initiatives, including an annual celebrity football match featuring internet personality Angry Ginge and backed by darts player Luke Littler. The campaign has also attracted support from boxer Tony Bellew.

The effort paid off last week when Manchester City Council confirmed Johnson's statue would be positioned opposite Manchester Victoria Station.

"Today's news is another milestone towards properly acknowledging the historic contributions of a working-class, mixed-race Mancunian whose brave actions in the past developed the foundations of a better future," Malik-Johnson said.

"In a sport and a society rigged against him because of his skin colour, Len made himself a champion for people outside the boxing ring.

"At home and abroad, as an athlete, a worker, an organiser, a politician and a family man, he exemplifies the best of us."

Manchester City Council deputy leader Tracey Rawlins said: "Len Johnson was not only one of the best boxers of his era, he was also a model of a Mancunian - a community champion who contributed much to the city during his lifetime.

"His life and his remarkable achievements are part of Manchester's history and deserve to be told.

"The planned statue will provide both a springboard for people to learn more about Len and a focal point for the city to remember and honour him."

The erection of the statue remains subject to planning permission.

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