Boxers United: Trade Unionism in British Boxing in the 1930s

Historians have been slow to follow the lead provided by Wray Vamplew's pioneering work on trade unionism in the British sports industry. The attention paid to permanent unions in sports such as golf and football has led to a neglect of those bodies which failed to make a lasting impact. This paper focuses on the history of one of those forgotten organisations, the National Union of Boxers (NUB). It argues that, despite organisational and financial difficulties, the NUB became an influential voice in the politics of British professional boxing during the 1930s.