The Welsh boxer forever held back by racism
MERTHYR Tydfil is known for producing world-class boxers. If you take a walk around the town you will see three statues proudly showing the community’s most talented and successful fighters: Eddie Thomas, Howard Winstone and Johnny Owen.
But missing from the collection is a man who was Merthyr born and bred and was once hailed “the best in Europe”. Cuthbert Taylor was a professional bantamweight and flyweight boxer between 1928 and 1947.
During his career he had 250 official bouts, recording an enviable 151 wins, 22 draws and 69 defeats. He was knocked out only once.
Although he became the Welsh bantamweight champion and the first black boxer to compete as a flyweight for Great Britain at the 1928 Olympics his full potential was never recognised or fulfilled because of the discriminatory colour bar.
The bar ran from 1911 to 1948 and said fighters had to have “two white parents” to compete for British titles. It was overseen by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC), which continues to run the sport today.
Cuthbert’s father Charlie, also a talented boxer, was of black Caribbean descent while his mother was white Welsh. It meant Cuthbert could never compete for the British title despite winning the Welsh title. His family has been seeking an apology from the BBBC for the past three years but claims they still have not received one.
Cuthbert’s grandson, Alun Taylor, was five years old when his grandfather died aged 67 in 1977. Speaking of Cuthbert’s upbringing, the 50-year-old said: “He was born in 1909 in Georgetown in Merthyr to his mum Margaret Anne from Swansea and his father, Charlie Taylor, who was black or mixed race from Liverpool. He was a boxer himself and used to box at the Liverpool docks. Charlie was a hard man.
“I believe Charlie came to Wales when he was travelling around the country as a fighter then he met my great-grandmother in Swansea. They then moved to Merthyr and never left.”
From a very young age Cuthbert followed in his father’s footsteps and succeeded at boxing at school before he progressed to an amateur level and beyond.
Alun said: “He was in Twynyrodyn boys school and he was schoolboy champion of Wales and Great Britain in 1924 or 1925 and then he defended it the year after. In 1928 he was Welsh amateur champion, British amateur champion, Tailteann Games gold medallist, and the Olympic representative for flyweight.”
Alun said when Cuthbert returned from the Olympic games he turned professional. In 1929 Cuthbert moved up a weight division and became the Welsh bantamweight champion. Although 250 official fights were recorded during his career the actual number is likely to be far higher as Cuthbert boxed at travelling fairs along with his father.
Alun said: “I know of 500 fights he had [at an amateur and professional level] and he always said he had 529.
“All of the time he was professional he boxed in the fairs. Anyone of any size could fight him and if they lasted a round they doubled their money. If they didn’t last a round they didn’t get any money.”
Despite having been Welsh bantamweight champion, and recognised as one of the best in Britain in his weight category, Cuthbert was denied a chance to fight for the British title due to the colour bar. The BBBC considered Cuthbert “not white enough to be British”, his family claim.
Alun said: “The Welsh boxing board was a different entity. In 1932 somebody from the Welsh board put my grandfather forward for the British title and that’s when the BBBC came forward and said: ‘You need to have two white parents born in Britain before you’re allowed to fight for the title so Cuthbert Taylor will never be allowed to fight.’
“They never let him fight again for another Welsh title. He then fought for 10 years and was known as the uncrowned featherweight champion of Wales.
“He always said: ‘You have to take the rough with the smooth in boxing.’ We don’t know how he felt inside but he probably felt pain.
“He had been a champion from a schoolboy all the way up until someone turned around and said: ‘Your skin is too dark.’”
Although Alun said he is sickened by the actions of the BBBC, he was proud to know how talented his grandfather must have been to have achieved so much while blatant racism was prevalent in both sport and wider society.
He said: “Knowing everything I know about him I’m proud. At a time where racism was so rife it just goes to show how talented he must have been to keep on winning.
“Quite a few of his decisions would have been unpopular as he used to fight away from home a lot. He was the opponent but he still won nine times out of 10. His talent couldn’t be argued with because he won so many fights in
a time of blatant racism. “[The BBBC decision means] he doesn’t get remembered. I come from a boxing town and you walk around and there are three statues of boxers but my grandfather doesn’t get that recognition because he made the BBBC feel uncomfortable. “That’s not to take away from the boxers who have statues.”
Alun said the family began approaching the BBBC for an apology in 2020 but they are “still no closer to getting one”. With the help of Merthyr MP Gerald Jones a memorial was unveiled in October 2021 at the Court House, where Cuthbert used to train, to mark Black History Month. The plaque reads the boxer was “denied the chance to succeed because of the colour of his skin”.
Alun said he and the family are grateful for the plaque but they won’t be fully satisfied until they have an apology from the BBBC. He said: “Fair is fair. I thought the way society has moved on the BBBC would have moved on. I thought they may have been happy to apologise. They say they condemn what happened but they will not say the word ‘sorry.’”
Alun said when his grandad retired from boxing he took on odd jobs before working at the Hoover factory.
However, boxing remained a huge part of his life and he kept close friendships with others in the sport. He even offered advice to young boxers who admired his career including Howard Winstone and Johnny Owen.
A spokesman for the BBBC said Cuthbert “did not qualify for a Lonsdale belt at the time of his career of which has been advised to his family on a number of occasions”.