Is Alec Munroe Based on a Real Boxer?

‘A Thousand Blows’ is a thrilling historical fiction show that revolves around multiple narrative threads that coincide with each other in the London East End area of the 1880s. One of the protagonists, Mary Carr, is building up to a grand heist unlike anything she and her all-women criminal gang, The Forty Elephants, have yet tried. Fortunately, a fresh-faced fighter, Hezekiah Moscow, arrives in the city’s port around the same time with his friend Alec Munroe. Despite the enmity that he quickly picks up with Sugar Goodson and his brother, Treacle, his connection with Mary gets his foot in the doors of pretty important rooms.

As a result, with Alec as his trainer and sparring partner, Hezekiah soon takes over the boxing scene of London with his exceptional skills. The show’s historical tag compels it to farm notable inspiration from reality, with central characters like Jamaican boxer Hezekiah Moscow retaining substantial roots in historical figures of the past. However, do the same off-screen connections extend to secondary characters like Alec?

Alec Munroe is Based on Hezekiah Moscow’s Real-Life Trainer and Friend

The character of Alec Munroe from ‘A Thousand Blows’ is inspired by an actual historical figure who existed in the East End of London during the late 1800s. Reports suggest Alexander Hayes Munroe was born in the early 1850s in Kingston, Jamaica, or Kingstown, Saint Vincent. A born Caribbean either way, he was known by many nicknames, including Alec, Aleck, or Munro. Upon his arrival in London, he was accompanied by Hezekiah Moscow, a Jamaican boxer, who went on to make a name for himself in the sport. He is reported to have been a mariner and a lion tamer who lived in a boarding inn in Rochester, Kent. He was well-liked around the neighborhood and was primarily known as the trainer, sparring partner, and friend to Moscow.

Yet, Munroe is best remembered in historical records due to his unfortunate passing. In 1885, he got into a brawl at his Whitechapel boarding house—though some reports suggest Great Pearl Street, Spitalfields, to be the location of the incident. Munroe walked away from the altercation with a stab wound, which he later discovered. Consequently, he spent a few days at the London hospital, where he died from an infection. Eventually, the person responsible for his death, Hewington, came forward, claiming the brawl was ignited after Munroe drunkenly spewed abuses at the crowd. Ultimately, the stabbing was deemed accidental, inviting no conviction for Hewington. In the aftermath of Munroe’s death, it was reported that approximately 20,000 people gathered to witness his funeral proceedings.

On his part, Moscow continued with his boxing career in the wake of the death of his training partner. Thus, real-life records paint a well-loved image of Alexander Hayes Munroe, whose devastating death left a mark on his friends, family, and peers. In ‘A Thousand Blows,’ his on-screen counterpart remains fairly reminiscent of his real-life experiences, highlighting the defining friendship Munroe retained with Moscow. However, certain changes are inevitably made to the historical figure in order to incorporate him into the overarching narrative. As a result, certain parts of Alec’s storyline—such as his rivalry with the Goodson brothers and romance with a Forty Elephant member—become fictionalized additions. Therefore, his on-screen portrayal ultimately emerges as a blend of fact and fiction.