[RERUN] EPISODE 83: From Slavery to Boxing: The Story of Bill Richmond

History on Fire

Daniele Bolelli

Society & Culture

4.7 • 5.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2025

⏱️ 119 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Every talent must unfold itself in fighting.” Friedrich Nietzsche “Boxing inhabits a sacred space predating civilization; or, to use D.H. Lawrence’s phrase, before God was love.” Joyce Carol Oates Stories that begin with slavery rarely end in happiness. I’m a huge fan of celebrating individual achievements in the face of terrible circumstances, but the reality is that the cards you are handed early in life usually shape the possible outcomes. The story we chat about today, though, is one that at least partially defeats the odds. Mr. Bill Richmond, the subject of our tale, was born in slavery in New York, in 1763. Not only did Richmond found his way out slavery, but he ended up moving across the globe, marrying a white lady in England, becoming a professional boxer at a time when the sport was infinitely more brutal than it is today, and ultimately becoming one of the first African American superstars in sports. If you feel generous and enjoy History on Fire, please consider joining my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to access plenty of bonus content. All the links to History on Fire social media can be found at our ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkTree⁠⁠⁠⁠, including: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HOF YouTube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. JAPAN TOUR! Let’s head out to Japan in Oct 2026. All the details at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Geek Nation Tours⁠⁠⁠⁠. Throughout history, people have used mushrooms (such as Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps, Reishi and Chaga) for their medicinal properties. My friends started ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Purest Mushrooms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where they offer some of the best quality mushrooms you can find on the market at affordable prices. Use code historyonfire at checkout for a discount. Bison is some of the healthiest meat you could possibly eat. Get yours at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dakota Pure Bison⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. History on Fire listeners get a discount by using the code HOF10 at checkout. This episode is supported by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Arizona State University⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about how ASU supports all learners through all stages of life. My friend James Pieratt is one of the world’s top functional training experts, and a record-breaking hybrid athlete. Use the code WH25 for a 25% discount on all of his training programs at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wild Hunt Conditioning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to episode 83 of History on Fire. This used to be behind the paywall,
0:05.5	but now it's released to the general public for the first time. If you enjoy the podcast,
0:11.4	the best way to make sure it remains viable is to support it either on Patreon or on Substac.
0:17.4	For $5 a month, I get to keep making podcasts. On top of that, you get episodes with no ads.
0:24.5	And you get bonus episodes pretty much every single month.
0:28.3	So not a bad deal.
0:29.8	Not only you can do it out of the goodness of your heart,
0:32.3	but also you could be doing it because you get something out of it.
0:37.3	I want to give a shout out to some of the folks who support at the highest possible level.
0:41.8	That would be Mark Chang, Chimimmoxham, Julian Bailey,
0:45.0	Lyub of Zereva, Amit Aeschel, Raffaldini Vineyards,
0:48.1	Brent Beckley, Hunterstone and André Izaza.
0:51.9	Thank you, thank you, thank you.
1:02.0	Quick announcement, in October of 2006, I should be going again to Japan, leading a tour exploring the history of the country.
1:04.0	Specifically, it's going to be the Battle of the Sekigahara and a whole time period around the late 1500s, early 1600s, which was, basically, if you
1:13.4	have ever watched the TV series Shogun, that's the set in kind of the final phases
1:18.2	of the Civil Wars.
1:20.9	Super exciting, the first time I went there, we had an absolute blast, so if you are interested,
1:26.0	check out Geek Nation Tours and type Japan and
1:29.9	they will pop up. I'll also put it in the episode notes, but in case you don't check that stuff
1:34.2	and you just want to Google it, Geek Nation Tours, Japan. This episode is supported by Arizona State
1:40.7	University. Learn more how ASU supports all learners through all stages of life
	...

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