Cribb had been a dockworker, and was said to be able to punch the bark off of trees without flinching. In contrast, Molineaux stood a mere five foot eight, though he was measured at fourteen stone of pure muscle (approximately 196 lbs). Cribb was the heavyweight bare-knuckle champion of the time in England, and considered a national hero of sorts. .
Bill Richmond, incidentally another former slave and boxing expert, had been brought to England by a progressive man Lord Percy, who also happened to be Duke of Northumberland. Lord Percy encouraged Richmond to be a prize-fighter, and Richmond earned a substantial living off the sport. Indeed, he was such a curiosity, like Molineaux, that he was courted at social events and even written about by Lord Byron. Richmond's primary ambition was to win the heavyweight title, and that meant defeating Tom Cribb. After an incredibly vicious hour and a half of equal pummeling, Richmond was finally forced to call, and lost the match. He went into semi-retirement and set up a boxing academy, but still had it out for Tom Cribb. When Tom Molineaux showed up, Richmond believed he had found his way toward finally defeating Cribb.
Molineaux had won only two fights on English soil before he would face Cribb. Richmond encouraged him to boast and push the public to demand a fight between this upstart and their beloved heavyweight champion. After thoroughly beating a man Tom Cribb had trained, the public push and urge to face this new black upstart would draw Cribb into the ring. Unfortunately, the public's love for Cribb, and the "atrocity" of a man of color taking away the title from such a beloved figure, would prove disastrous for Tom Molineaux. The honor of the country hung in the balance, and the crowd and surrounding interlopers would prove that though Molineaux had gained his freedom through skill and determination, the color of his skin still mattered.
