NEWLY crowned British and commonwealth champion, Lewis Edmondson, believes boxing can be a force for good for young people.
Edmondson, who beat Dan Azeez on Saturday night to claim his light-heavyweight title, took time to go back to where his journey began and reflect on the importance of having local facilities available in the community.
Golden Ring Boxing Club in Millbrook, Southampton, is where a young Edmondson first put on a pair of gloves and embarked on a career in the sport.
OfficialSportsHub spoke to Edmondson this week about the importance of having facilities available in the community.
Edmondson said: “Having Golden Ring available as a facility when I was a kid had a massive impact on my discipline when I was at school, it showed me the importance of diet and discipline and I think it channeled my mind in a different way to other kids.
“With crime getting worse and worse I think it’s important for kids to try and get into any sport at a younger age to keep them away from bad distractions.
Similar to many boxing clubs throughout the country, Golden Ring provides a safe social space for younger people in its community, and with fewer facilities such as youth centres available it is becomingly increasingly important that gyms such as Golden Ring are available.
According to a survey by Unison, 1,243 council-run youth centres closed in the country between 2010-2023, with just 581 remaining in operation.
Many coaches who work at boxing clubs across the country, do so on a voluntary basis, which means government funding is very important for the gyms to be able to operate.
A coach at Golden Ring, Peter Brisland, told OfficialSportsHub: “The area we are in is quite a rough area, I’ve been in trouble with the police but since I started coaching ten years ago I haven’t been in any trouble since.
“It’s a great place for kids to learn discipline and self-respect, we’ve had kids who have come into the gym being bullied at school who are no longer. When I was younger I had people around me to look up to, and here at Golden Ring the kids can look up to people like Edmondson who have trained here with us.
“I don’t worry about the money, it’s just rewarding watching the kids become better people”.
