A new book by the Historian Michael Herbert tells the story of Leonard Benker Johnson born in Manchester, whose mother was Manchester Irish and whose father was West African.
He was one of the most successful middleweight boxers of the 1920s, defeating leading boxers such as Ted Lewis, Roland Tood, and Len Harvey, but was barred by the British Boxing Board of Control from a chance at a British title because he was not white.
In December 1929 Len defeated Michele Bonaglia, the European light-heavyweight champion, in a non-title fight in Manchester.
After retiring from the ring in 1933 Len toured the country with his boxing booth until 1939. During the Second World War he worked in Civil Defence.
In 1945 he joined the Communist Party and was an active member, speaking at public meetings and standing for the Council in Moss Side. He attended the Pan African Congress in Manchester in 1945 and was a co-founder of the New International Society in Moss Side which campaigned against the “colour bar” and racial discrimination at home and abroad in the late 1940s.
This book draws on Len’s unpublished autobiography, newspapers reports of Len’s boxing career and political campaigns and interviews with people who knew Len.
It is available on Lulu.com and costs £11.95
