BoxRec

This is an interesting and atmospheric bit of film talking about an area of London that produced a lot of fighters. The footage looks to be from the 70s but they are talking about an earlier period and how the conditions bred fighters.

For anyone not in the UK, Bermondsey is a neighbourhood just south of the Thames. It was traditionally a dock area and produced a lot of British champions and, in later times, world champions like Lloyd Honeyghan and David Haye.

Nice look at the old Thomas A'Becket gym. I recognise Danny Holland, Billy Aird (hitting the speedball) and Mark Rowe (sparring).

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/534869

Link to the fighter interviewed in the video, Joe Rolfe. Just goes to show how desperate some men were for money and food in certain eras, working full time jobs and then fighting anyone and anywhere to make enough to feed their families, most didn’t care if they won or lost as long as they got paid, different times and made people tough.

Where was the Bermondsey School of Arms ?
I believe I had read it was on St. James Road.
what was the history behind it ?
It was a (small)Boxing venue compared to Wonderland in London back in the early 20th Century.

looks like it may have been also known as "Bill Lee's Gymnasium".
( Bill Lee had once been a "bare-Knuckled" pugalist.

https://boxrec.com/en/location/251430

Controversial wrote: ↑12 Jan 2026, 05:15 https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/534869

Link to the fighter interviewed in the video, Joe Rolfe. Just goes to show how desperate some men were for money and food in certain eras, working full time jobs and then fighting anyone and anywhere to make enough to feed their families, most didn’t care if they won or lost as long as they got paid, different times and made people tough.

Thanks, I'd wondered what his record was. Decent KO percentage amongst his wins.