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Celebs are holding a charity football match to fund a statue for ‘uncrowned boxing champion’ Len Johnson

He is widely-considered one of if not the greatest ever British boxer, but could never be crowned a champion.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 15th February 2023

A charity football match is set to be held to raise funds for a statue in honour of legendary Manc boxer, Len Johnson, widely considered one of the greatest fighters to never be crowned a champion.

Len Johnson is one of the most inspiring yet saddest sporting tales you’ll ever come across. Born in Clayton (the former home of Manchester United‘s precursor club Newton Heath) back in 1902, Len Johnson was a British boxer who famously won 96 fights throughout his remarkable 135-bout career.

However, it was a career that was cruelly limited and hamstrung by outdated and racist laws, as according to a piece of legislation known as ‘Rule 24’, (a.k.a ‘the colour bar’), Johnson could not compete for a title as he did not have two white parents.

Despite the painful history behind his life, the light-heavyweight is often referred to as ‘Manchester’s best ever boxer‘, perhaps even Britain’s, and now famous faces from within the sport and beyond are looking to raise money for his long overdue statue and recognition.

Teaming up with FC United and a team of Legends, boxing icons Ricky Hatton and Anthony Crolla, as well as a horde of celebrities from the likes of Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and more are lacing up their boots for a charity match this May.

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Aiming to raise enough money to pay for the statue of Johnson, Manchester’s uncrowned boxing champion, the players will be facing off in the Moston-based semi-pro team’s home ground at Broadhurst Park.

With numerous sponsors already signed up and even more famous faces set to join the charity match, both coverage of the event and knowledge of Johnson’s story has increased.

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With documentaries made in his honour now being selected for the Paris Film Awards and more people learning of Len’s legacy, the turnout for the game and its attached fundraiser looks like it’s going to be massive.

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Johnson died in Oldham back in 1974 at the age of 71 and while we will always wonder what could have been if he was allowed to fight officially, his impact both on boxing, Manchester and sport at large will never be forgotten.

As well as being known for nearly a century of victories in the ring, he also did more than his fair in the fight for civil rights and by contributing to anti-racism efforts.

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As well as helping black sailors sacked by a shipping company keep their jobs, staging several protests outside a pub in Hulme after he refused service, he also served in WWII and helped organise the 5th Pan African Congress over decolonisation, held here in Manchester. He wasn’t just a boxer, he was a hero.

As campaign lead Lamin Touray told ITV, he believes “the Len Johnson story has been kept from us purposely” and erecting a statue of him, pride of place in the city centre, will not only help people learn the tale of this remarkable man, but it’s what he and his family deserve.

93 wins, no title shots: How Clayton’s greatest boxer was stopped from becoming a champion

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Featured Image — Manchester Libraries/Working Class Movement Libraries

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Qatar and Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to submit ‘world record’ offers to buy Manchester United as other bidders are expected to join the race

Danny Jones Danny Jones Qatar Jim Ratcliffe world record bit to buy Manchester United

The deadline for the second round of bidders in the race to takeover Manchester United football club has officially passed, with multiple world record offers reportedly on the verge of being submitted.

Following the first round of bids, which saw a Qatar investment group headed up by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe both put in their initial offers, Manchester United set a second deadline of 9pm on 22 March for them to increase their offers and welcome other offers.

While the opening bids matched each other at £4.5 billion, working with financial advisors Raine Group who are brokering in the deal from the US, neither reached the Glazer family ownership’s estimations, who value the club closer to £6bn.

As a result, both went on to carry out further negotiations — each visiting Old Trafford last Friday and staying for upwards of six hours (more than 10 in the case of the Qataris) — but it is now thought they may no longer be the only parties involved in the bidding war. Whether it will be in time is the issue.

Kaveh Solhekol trying to clear up the confusion over Qatar and Jim Ratcliffe’s United bids.

Despite earlier reports that Sheikh Jassim and his associates had submitted a “world record offer” before the Glazers and Raine Group’s 9pm deadline (5pm New York time), Sky Sports‘ Kaveh Solhekol has now clarified that the bid was not submitted in time and that they have asked for an extension.

Man United are said to have agreed to the extension and Sheikh Jassim still remains confident that they have the “best bid” of the bunch.

Moreover, as per the likes of Mike Keegan, Jim Ratcliffe was also set to enter his second bid, with both offers said to have increased to around the £5bn mark. However, the INEOS chief exec is also said to have failed to meet the deadline and been granted an extension, according to a senior source.

Kaveh also went on to detail that multiple other offers have in fact been submitted, with the numbers said to be “approaching eight” different bidders.

Any bid of more than £3.75bn would break the world record fee for a sports club set when the Denver Broncos were sold last summer.

As for the frontrunners, both offers are still around a billion short of the Glazer’s asking price and not only have Sheikh Jassim and co. already warned they will ‘walk away’ if the price is too high, but it’s unclear how far Ratcliffe’s wealth can stretch if he is to continue pursuing a deal.

The key difference between the two bids is that Qatar’s bid will apparently make the club debt-free given the sheer mass of state wealth behind them, whereas the Failsworth-born businessman’s financing may be more complex to put together.

Trying to clear up the confusion, The Times‘ Matt Lawton said on Twitter that “both Qatari and INEOS representatives said their bids were in, United sources [are] saying they haven’t yet bid and have asked for an extension”, with offers now set to be made by tomorrow.

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As reported by Sky Sports earlier this week, it was thought that “at least five other bidders” and as many as eight in question could join the race along with Ratcliffe and Qatar, who were the only two parties to have submitted an official offer for United during the first round of bidding.

However, a detailed list of the other candidates and precisely how many are still yet to be confirmed; Kaveh did go on to suggest that some could simply be a form of “hot air” designed to hopefully urge the ‘serious bidders’ to edge their offers up even higher.

As for next steps, neither of the parties in the supposed two-horse race expect an immediate decision from the board, especially after the unexpected delay, and those who submitted new offers in the second round of bidding will have to wait at least seven days to hear back from the club and brokers Raine Group regarding their progress.

However, it is worth noting that these subsequent bids may not necessarily be attempts to buy the club outright and not only is there a feeling that a third round of negotiations could take place, but there is also a growing sense that the Glazers could still pull out of a potential buyout altogether.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

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Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone cameras are now being used for ‘detecting crime’

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Cameras installed for Greater Manchester’s now-discarded Clean Air Zone (CAZ) scheme are apparently being used for “detecting crime”.

A total of 407 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras were installed across the region back in February 2022 ready for the start of the controversial £60 million scheme that never happened – but now, councillors in Bolton have revealed that the technology isn’t going to waste, and is actually being for an entirely different reason all together.

After Horwich councillor David Grant “raised concerns” about the cost of running the cameras at recent Bolton Council meeting, leader Martyn Cox revealed that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has been closely controlling them and using them “to good effect in detecting crime”, according to BBC Manchester.

“Now that the Mayor of Greater Manchester has graciously confirmed that the area of Bolton will most like not be subject to any clean air zone can the leader confirm that he intends to demand that the presumably now defunct cameras be removed?,” Mr Grant asked at the meeting.

He continued: “Secondly, bearing in mind these cameras are live and drawing electricity from our street furniture, will he be requesting a payment for electricity estimated Greater Manchester wide at £375,000 a month?”

Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone cameras are now being used for “detecting crime” / Credit: GMP

Council leader David Cox then explained to Mr Grant that information from the cameras released in line with data protection legislation has been used to support at least two murder investigations, one high risk missing person case, one county lines drug supply case, two separate fatal road traffic collisions, and an aggravated burglary.

“However, it is acknowledged that there are concerns around the use of number plate recognition cameras and allowing direct access to the cameras to organisations such as Greater Manchester Police when these are no longer required for a charging clean air zone,” Mr Cox continued.

“There is a commitment to undertake public consultation on the future use of cameras once we have a decision from central government on the investment led clean air plan.”

The Clean Air Zone was to initially hand motorists daily charges of up to £60 for some of the most polluting vehicles on Greater Manchester‘s roads.

But many will remember that the deadline for the scheme had been put on hold until while the plan was referred back to the government for “urgent review” in January 2022 after huge backlash and after Prime Minister Boris Johnson conceded that it was “completely unworkable” for the region.

Greater Manchester Police has been closely controlling the cameras and using them “to good effect” / Credit: GMP

The government agreed to delay the deadline for the scheme until 2026, but local leaders wanted to scrap all charges and help to fund vehicle upgrades instead.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) then set out evidence supporting an investment-led, and, crucially for residents and motorists, a non-charging Clean Air Plan back in June 2022 – which it said was “the best solution” to address the roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) problem.

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Ministers are reportedly still yet to respond to this latest plan.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

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