WARNING: This article contains spoilers from A Thousand Blows.
Disney+ has finally released its highly anticipated period drama, A Thousand Blows, which takes a deep dive into the world of underground boxing, an all-female gang of thieves and a boxer’s rise to fame.
The series, set in 1880s Victorian London, follows the journey of aspiring lion tamer Hezekiah Moscow (played by Malachi Kirby), who travels from Jamaica to start his new career.
However, it isn’t long before he finds himself at The Blue Coat Boy pub in the east end, stepping into the ring with the formidable veteran fighter Henry “Sugar” Goodson (Stephen Graham).
Fans have been eager to learn more about the real-life Hezekiah Moscow who inspired the creation of A Thousand Blows.
Who was the real-life Hezekiah Moscow?
Speaking at a Q&A for the show, creator Steven Knight revealed that there wasn’t as much known about Hezekiah compared to other characters. “There’s not a lot known about Hezekiah. There’s probably 10 times as much known about Mary Carr and the Forty Elephants”, he said.
“But what I tried to avoid was the books and go to court cases and transcripts of court cases and newspaper articles about Mary.
“With Hezekiah, you’ve got these little stepping stones of events that happened, usually fights that happened where he won.
“And what you can do is find your way between the stepping stones.”
A Thousand Blows premiered on Friday, February 21, on Disney . (Image: DISNEY PLUS)
A Thousand Blows is based on the real-life story of boxer Hezekiah Moscow who left Jamaica in the 1880s to become a lion tamer. (Image: NATIONAL ARCHIVES)
Nevertheless, there had been a number of newspaper articles about the boxer’s past.
It emerged from The Illustrated Police News that a certain William “Punch” Lewis, depicted by Daniel Mays in the drama, operated The Blue Coat Boy pub where Moscow first showcased his combat skills in 1882.
It was also noted by the same paper that Moscow was prodded into the ring by some of “the boys”, yet he seemed “unable or unwilling” to really prove his mettle.
His moniker Ching Hook, which he earned from a sports journalist who believed he had partial Chinese descent, became his ring name.
‘A Thousand Blows’ delves into Moscow’s background, illustrating his fluency in Chinese, a skill inherited from his grandmother.
As Moscow’s boxing career was lifting off, he also took on the role of lion and bear tamer at the East London Aquarium in Bishopsgate.
However, adversity struck in March 1884 when he was accused by the RSPCA of “cruelly ill-treating” four bears under his supervision.
He refuted the claims of inhumane whipping and substandard living conditions for the animals with Mr Blackwell, his attorney, asserting that no injuries were found on the bears.
Furthermore, Moscow’s employer Edward G Sim penned a letter to the Hackney Express and Shoreditch Observer to rebut Officer Utting’s allegations from the RSPCA.
Sim highlighted that Utting was facing “a summons for perjury for fabricating evidence against Moscow and the aquarium”, as reported by Grappling With History.
He also remarked that Moscow’s whip was so lightweight it “could not hurt a dog, much less a bear”.
A Thousand Blows true story: Who is Hezekiah Moscow? Inside the real-life aspired lion tamer turned champion boxer (Image: DISNEY PLUS)
The narrative of Moscow’s life took a tragic turn with the death of his friend Alec.
In 1885, Alec was fatally wounded in a brawl at a Whitechapel “doss house” and succumbed to his injuries on Great Pearl Street, Spitalfields, detailed by The Penny Illustrated Paper.
Moscow expressed to The Sporting Life his desire to erect a grand headstone and footstone over Munroe’s grave, who was interred at Ilford Cemetery at the age of 36.
It is said by Grappling With History that an estimated “some 20,000 people reportedly lined Bethnal Green Road to say goodbye”.
Moscow’s career continued to ascend as he secured a week-long stint at the Sebright Music Hall, battling twice nightly against champion Sam Baxter.
In 1890, it was reported that he triumphed in his heat of a competition that raised funds for the London and South Western Railway Servants’ Orphanage, and in the same year, he wed Mary Ann Maddin in Whitechapel.
The couple welcomed their daughter Eliza Margaret Moscow in June 1891, and as time passed, mentions of his bouts in the press began to fade, signalling the twilight of his boxing days.
A Thousand Blows is available to watch on Disney+.