A small part of Burden Youth Centre has been given a new lease of life with the launch of Track Fitness and Boxing Club.
Thanks to the vision of Phil Dodsworth and Mike Pardoe and the persistence of local councillor Kerri Harold, Track Fitness and Boxing Club is already proving to be a knockout hit with the kids and adults.
Jordon Thorn who claimed his first win as an amateur back in February 2010 when he beat Ben Davies from York and was one of the many adults who were making good use of the boxing club.
It has been a while since he stepped into the ring but he clearly still has a passion for the sport and desire to compete again. He needs to shed a few pounds if he is to realise his goal and feels that having the boxing club on his doorstep will help make that possible.
On Friday professional boxer Tommy Coyle, who will defend his IBF Inter-Continental Lightweight title on the 22nd February at the Hull Ice Arena was the guest of honour at a special opening.
MP Graham Stuart, a keen sportsman himself was very positive about the gym. He said colleagues of his in Westminster have told him how boxing clubs have a real positive impact on communities in a number of ways.
If the gym is to survive and keep growing then it needs the support of the community. At the opening there were representatives from the two supermarket giants in Beverley, Hannah Burnitt of ASDA and Dave Ryley from Tesco both of whom have given it their backing.
Local artist Pete McNally has said he will transform the walls, painting images of some of the biggest names in boxing to help inspire the next generation of fighters.
Kerri said in her speech that Phil never gave up in his belief that a boxing club would help engage with some of the harder to reach young people, and that when all hope was lost she rung the bells, but most of all how proud she was to have been able to play a small part in this much needed project.
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