Thieves steal statue of British boxing legend as ‘gutted’ grandson begs for assist
Teddy Baldock is considered one of Britain’s best young boxers, but just over a decade after a statue was unveiled in his honour, a group of thugs have ruthlessly torn it down
A statue was unveiled for Teddy Baldock in 2014, but now it has been torn down
The desperate grandson of one of Britain’s best boxers has pleaded with the public to help find a missing statue made in his honour. The statue of fight legend Teddy Baldock was stolen from the plinth on Sunday night with no arrests currently made.
Teddy was considered a miracle of British boxing, knocking out his competition to become the youngest world champion of all time. In 1927, at just the age of 19, Baldock wowed everyone after being able to clinch the title after a nail-biting bout against American Archie Bell.
Teddy had a stellar career stateside, having travelled to the US as an 18-year-old, taking on twelve fights in the space of three months and winning all but one of them. He even was able to fight at the legendary Madison Square Gardens arena twice before becoming world champion, making him a household name in the boxing community.
A legend within the bantamweight category, Teddy sadly passed away in 1971 aged 63. But in an attempt to resurrect his legacy, grandson Martin Sax commissioned a statue to be erected in Langdon Park in East London — not far from where he grew up — in 2014.
But in a tragic turn, the statue was mysteriously stolen in the middle of Sunday night, with seemingly no one around to see the crime take place. Grandson Martin was left distraught, after only discovering the statue had been torn down and taken away after he saw an update on his Facebook page.
After a pal had confirmed that the statue had indeed disappeared, a report of theft was made to the Met Police. Speaking to the Sun, 56-year-old Martin said he was “gutted” that someone would steal the statue, but was determined to find those responsible.
“Time is of the essence but if I can get out in the media, then there’s a chance it could get recovered,” he explained. “Because, at the end of the day, I believe it’ll be a gang that is nicking these statues.”
Martin continued: “There’s no emotion; they don’t give a f*** really, about British sporting heroes. It’s just a lump of metal to them, so the sooner I can get it out there, there’s hope that it can be found.”
The statue is made out of bronze, which can make a pretty penny when melted down. Currently, the going rate for a tonne of bronze in the UK can range from £3,000 to £3,900.
CCTV footage is now being combed over by the police, whilst Martin desperately waits for information that could lead to the retrieval of his grandad’s statue. The Met Police confirmed that an investigation into the theft of the statue has now been opened and have appealed to the public for help.
In a statement, the Met Police confirmed that no arrests had yet been made in relation to the statue’s theft. However, they urged that time was not on their side and urged anyone who could have any leads to get in touch as quickly as possible.
“Officers are carrying out enquiries to identify those responsible and will continue to follow every available line of enquiry,” a Met Police spokesperson said. “If you have any information please contact 101 quoting CAD 6133/1Feb. To remain anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
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