Slaves were called upon by their masters for many forms of entertainment. One such form included bare knuckle boxing matches called battle royales. Several slaves we’re put into a ring and were forced to battle it out until near death with little or no reward at all. All the while slave owners looked on making wagers.

Tom Molineaux was America’s first international boxing superstar. Molineaux is assumed to have been born in 1784 on a Plantation Farm in Georgetown, Virginia. His father was Zachariah Molineaux, a bare-knuckle boxer with strong fists. He trained his son, and Tom began boxing other slaves as instructed and wagered on by plantation owners. One of his last fights as a slave was against a slave from a rival plantation. His owner promised him his freedom if he won. Tom Molineaux earned his master the equivalent of $100,000, and earned himself $500 and his freedom, which was unheard of at the time.

Wasting no time, Tom moved to New York where he began to train under British boxer Bill Richmond. Richmond also became his manager and promoter. After building notoriety through fights in New York, and hearing there was more money to be made in England, Molineaux became a deckhand on a boat headed for Liverpool. His goal was to fight Tom Cribb, the British heavyweight champion. 

Initially Cribb refused to fight him but ended up fighting him on December 18, 1810. It drew a crowd of about 5,000 people. Round after round, Molineaux appeared to be winning, that is, until Cribb’s supporters jumped into the ring and beat on Molineaux, breaking his fingers. Molineaux continued fighting Cribb and it is said the fight should have been called many times but referees would not call it in Molineaux’s favor. Unable to hold out any longer, Molineaux gave up in the 44th round, and Cribb was declared the winner. Molineaux requested a rematch, which was set up for September 18, 1811. This time Cribb won in the 11th round.

In 1815, Molineaux moved to Ireland and was welcomed by its boxing community. However, as his career began to crumble, he became an addict, and succumbed to tuberculosis in 1818. In 1997, Molineaux was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

A native of Phoenix, Arizona Aundrea Sayrie is a firm believer in the power of words, faith and a strong spirit. Her greatest desire is to encourage those around her to discover and honor their truth, and to passionately live on purpose.