A statue that was erected in memory of the great Teddy Baldock has been vandalised and stolen.
Thieves stole the bronze statue of the man who became Britain’s youngest-ever world champion leaving only its feet behind.
It is feared the thieves would have melted the statue down and sold it for scrap.
The statue was housed in Langdon Park in Poplar in East London until last weekend.
Baldock’s grandson, Martin Sax, took to X and wrote: “Last night scum stole the statue of my Grandfather Teddy Baldock Britain’s youngest Ever World Boxing Champion. The statue was unveiled outside the Langdon Park DLR Station in Poplar, East London. Years of work and a stunning work of art by the sculptor, the late Carl Payne, will be sold for scrap and melted down.”
That was followed by a message that said CCTV footage was being reviewed but it is not clear whether the suspects can be identified.
“The Pride of Polar,” Teddy Baldock, boxed from bantamweight up to lightweight. Born in 1907 he turned pro at the age of 14, winning a world title at just 19 at the Royal Albert Hall when he defeated Brooklyn, New York’s Albert Bell over 15 rounds in London.
In his career, Baldock faced the likes of Ernie Jarvis, Young Johnny Brown, Johnny Cuthbert, Willie Smith, Harry Lake, Alf Kid Pattenden, Benny Sharkey, and Panama Al Brown.
Baldock shone brightly but was over the hill at a young age and he struggled in retirement, turning to drink with a tendency to gamble. He died aged 63 in March 1971.
The statue was erected in 2014 after a significant period of fund-raising.
London’s Met Police have issued an appeal for information.
“Police were called at 20.07hrs on Sunday, 1 February to reports that the bronze monument had been taken from Langdon Park in Poplar,” read the statement.
“Officers have obtained CCTV which shows four suspects at the scene, all dressed in black with their faces covered. The suspects wiggled the statue free from its stone plinth before placing it in a three-wheel cargo bike and covering it with a hi-vis jacket. No tools were seen to be used.”
Detective superintendent Oliver Richter said: “We understand this is a very distressing time for members of our community to have a monument of a local hero treated this way. I want to assure the public that our officers are working at pace to identify those responsible and will continue to follow every available line of enquiry.”
