Boxing
is a sport for all and appears to be as popular now as it was since
the first reported bouts during the 1700s. Irrespective of your
gender, I guess boxing holds a particular fascination. The appeal
may derive from the discipline and zeal displayed by competitors.
Or maybe the attraction has something to do with the blood, sweat
and toil that goes hand-in-hand with the sport. Or perhaps watching
two fine-looking, athletic and very able bodied gentlemen competing
for the right to be champion is the central allure of this sport.
Whatever it is there’s definitely a fascination.
For me, the eighties decade is flooded with boxing recollections. The
particular enthrallment for me being Middleweight’s and Featherweight’s
in the form of Alan ‘Boom Boom’ Minter, ‘The Clones
Cyclone’ Barry McGuigan and Warley’s very own Pat Cowdell.
Sadly, however, playing host to professional boxing appears to be a
thing of the past in Birmingham since the notorious NEC bout between
Robert McCracken and Manchester’s Steve Foster which led to off-ring
violence and doomed the midlands from hosting a similar event again.
These days, people appear to be more and more interested in Amateur
Boxing, which for me is right up there for entertainment. I’ve
been to a number of bouts at the Emerald Club which proved excellent
entertainment for people of all ages, gender and culture. However,
I wasn’t aware of so many Amateur clubs scattered around the
West Midlands. One such club is Hall Green Amateur Boxing Club.
I spoke to Michael Smith, who is businessman, sponsor and backer of
the club and one of the behind the scenes enthusiasts.
He says: “I was approached by Tommy Chaney back in 2002. He was
coaching the young people at Hall Green College at that time but because
of a lack of space, it was difficult to erect a boxing ring for the
youngsters to use on a
regular basis. Tommy was looking for new premises but needed a
local businessman to sponsor
the initiative. I felt Tommy had vision and was full of ideas so I
decided to unite with him. I
haven’t looked back since. The amount of talent involved and
is currently evolving from within Hall Green Amateur Boxing Club is
a just reward in itself.”
One such talent is Lightweight fighter, Frankie Gavin, who won gold
in the Lightweight division in Melbourne at the Commonwealth Games.
With this success behind him there was concern the lure to turn professional
would be too strong to resist but Frankie has vowed to stay amateur
until the next two years. It would appear that making this decision
is testament to the professionalism of this club, which is something
Michael is in agreement with.
He says: “Having the likes of Frankie is an excellent advertisement
for the club. Frankie is a rising star and a good example to the youngsters
following in his footsteps. I am personally proud to be involved with
this club because of the opportunities it gives to young people. The
club caters for youngsters from the age of eleven upwards and welcomes
enthusiasts from all cultural backgrounds which in turn, helps promote
cultural harmony in the surrounding area. The club in itself is an
incentive to keep people off the streets. It’s easy for youngsters
to be led astray, become bored, loiter around streets and in some cases
find themselves involved in a life of crime.
“I was also impressed with the amount of respect the young boxers
have for the two club coaches, Tommy Chaney and Stephen McHale. These
two are teaching the next generation the importance of discipline,
physical and mental well being and promoting healthy competition amongst
diverse cultures. With Frankie as an example, the club is going from
strength to strength.”
In fact, Michael tells me the club now has plans for an even rosier
future which will, no doubt, only add to the club’s appeal.
Michael says: “We’ve invested in a plot of land on Spring
Lane in Tyseley which we hope will soon be home to Hall Green Amateur
Boxing Club. The site is still a bit of a bombsite but we have vision,
plans and heaps of enthusiasm in the hope that the site will be completed
some time in 2007. What we’re also looking to do is to liaise
with local businesses who might be interested in coming on board with
this project. We’re keen to hear from anyone who feels this is
something they would like to be part of. We’re hoping the project
will be a community club backed by the community for the community.”
With such evident keenness displayed by Michael, it is apparent that
the new home of Hall Green Amateur Boxing Club will be a roaring success.
With the likes of Tommy and Stephen on board as well as local businesses
and the local community, this club has the potential of becoming a
club of excellence for many youngsters of the future. In fact, this
club may already have created Great Britain’s next boxing hero
in the form of Frankie Gavin.
Michael Smith can be contacted on 0783 142 8368 for further information.
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