Boxers help celebrate West End reopening

Boxers past and present have helped reopen Shepherd Neame’s newly refurbished West End pub the Tom Cribb.

Former WBA world champion boxer Barry McGuigan (right) and up and coming professional boxer Alex Branson-Cole (middle) joined Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame (left) as the refurbished venue was once again opened to the public.

Situated just off Leicester Square in London, the pub is named after bare-knuckle boxer Tom Cribb, who became a world champion and ran the pub when he retired from the sport. The venue has undergone an £800,000 transformation.

The 18th century pub has boxing memorabilia displayed on its walls and a new function room named after Cribb’s great boxing rival Bill Richmond.

"It has been a labour of love for us at Shepherd Neame to conserve and restore this well-loved London pub to such a high standard," says Neame. "We were delighted to welcome boxing legend Barry and up and coming boxing star Alex from our home town of Faversham to officially open the pub, helping to keep its unique boxing heritage alive.

"We are incredibly proud of the pub’s new look and offer, which is already proving popular with customers, and we look forward to welcoming many more through the doors."

Internal improvements to the site include a renovation of the bar and layout change to create a more open plan ground floor space. Customers can also choose from a new menu of classic pub dishes and bar snacks.

"I was delighted to be invited to join the team for the opening of this unique pub," says McGuigan. "It is very special now and always was, as far back as the 1800s, as Tom Cribb was one of the greatest fighters this country has ever produced. The pub is looking great and it was fantastic to see all the boxing memorabilia on show – including a photo from one of my own fights!"

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