The family of Teddy Baldock, a revered British boxing champion, has been left devastated after thieves brazenly stole his statue from Langdon Park in East London. The bronze monument, standing since 2014 in tribute to the ‘Pride of Poplar,’ vanished over the weekend, leaving only a pair of boxing boots on its empty plinth.
Martin Sax, Baldock’s grandson, who spent four years fundraising to bring the statue to life, expressed his heartbreak and anger over the theft. “My heart dropped when I saw it was gone,” said Sax. “Those scumbags have shown pure disrespect to my grandfather’s legacy. He would have knocked them all out.”
Footage from the Metropolitan Police shows four suspects, dressed in black with their faces covered, using no visible tools to free the statue. They then loaded it onto a cargo bike, concealing it with a high-vis jacket, and fled northbound toward Bromley-by-Bow underground station. Police are appealing for any information to help recover the stolen monument.
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Teddy Baldock made history as Britain’s youngest world boxing champion at 19, winning the bantamweight title in 1927. Born in Poplar in 1907, he was celebrated for his speed and thrilling style in the ring. Though successful, Baldock’s post-boxing life was marked by hardship, including poverty and homelessness. He passed away in 1971 with little public recognition.
The statue was sculpted by the late Carl Payne and held deep emotional significance for the family. Martin Sax is now trying to locate the original mould of the statue to recast it if the bronze figure is not recovered. “Seeing the life-size clay model captured him perfectly,” Sax said. “It was overwhelming to see my grandfather again after so many years.”
As the investigation continues, community members and police alike mourn the loss of this symbol honoring a local hero whose legacy endures in the hearts of many.