Amateur boxers, from Birmingham, have credited the sport with putting them on the right path in life, after competing in a tournament to raise money for a youth crime prevention programme in the city.
22-year-old Jake Taylor and 21-year-old Mirza Tariq were fighting alongside members of the Pat Benson Boxing Academy on Friday 21 March, ten days before the club’s current 12-month funding stream expires.
The fundraising tournament, which was held at the University of Birmingham, was organised in collaboration with the youth-led My Tomorrow campaign, which is empowering young people to have their say on the region’s approach to youth violence.
Jake has been boxing for 6 years, said the sport completely changed the trajectory of his life.
“It started wrong for me. I know growing up I faced a few challenges even a few run-ins with the law and surrounding myself with the wrong kinds of people, so really it’s about how you design your life and when I found boxing it was a way for me to navigate that anger,” he said.
“Obviously growing up with such negative conditions and pressures, to be able to go into something more positive, and to express myself in a way that’s positive, has been so great for me.”
The 22-year-old who has launched his own brand called Strive EP to inspire and support other young people, added: “I was in a place where I was struggling. I was in a dark place, but boxing has changed everything, my confidence, the way I come across to people. If you met me before I started to box I’d be a completely different person.”
In keeping with the aim of the My Tomorrow campaign, the whole event was organised by a young person.
Criminology student Jack Moss studies at the University of Birmingham and volunteers at Pat Benson Boxing.
He sold more than 600 tickets, raising £1,500 pounds to ensure the club has funds to keep its valuable prevention work going while they apply for new funding streams in the new financial year.
“I want the research I do in my future career to prove the need for programmes like this,” he said.
“The perception of boxing is that it is violent or about violence but personally I believe it’s the exact opposite, it brings out the best in people and I’ve seen that.”
21-year-old Mirza Tariq, who won his bout on the night, said boxing isn’t just a sport, it’s a lifestyle.
“I build my life around boxing. I really enjoy it. I’ve met so many great people and it’s helped me in my life in all aspects, even just talking to people. I’ve made a lot of new friends and it’s given me a routine.”
He added: “There’s a few boxers in there that before they had anger issues, they couldn’t really control it but boxing has taught them discipline so now they can control their emotions much better.”
Pat Benson Boxing Club, in Digbeth, runs 12-week programmes with young people who have been excluded from school, or who are at risk of becoming involved in youth violence or anti-social behaviour and gangs. They can be referred by the police, the Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP), schools, parents or self-refer. The club also runs drop-in sessions.
Owner Paddy Benson said: “We’ve really struggled the past couple of years because funding is very short-term and I think the industry is really struggling in terms of short-term funding, so the money raised which will be donated to our charity, will help us reignite our youth programme.
“That’s essentially a personal development programme for young people to improve their fitness and empower them to do some volunteering, improve their skills and confidence and really take advantage of the gym and the coaches and mentors we have there. Once they are exposed to that they often go on to do really excellent things in life.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Simon Foster, who chairs the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) Strategic Board, said: “This kind of community work, which was spearheaded by a young person, is exactly what the region-wide My Tomorrow campaign is all about, supporting projects that can prevent youth violence and knife crime, from happening in the first place.
“It is fantastic to hear that the funds raised will be used to support proven youth crime prevention initiatives run by Pat Benson Boxing Academy, which are clearly of great value to young men in the city.
All proceeds raised will go towards funding the Youth Crime Prevention Programme for the next six months, providing participants with an excellent opportunity to engage in physical exercise alongside relevant workshops.
“The event was also supported by many young people, mostly university students who bought tickets to see the amateur boxers compete, and it provided many amateur boxers with their first opportunity to test their skills at a professionally run tournament, using the world-class facilities at the University of Birmingham.”
These workshops will support them in moving away from environments and situations that could lead to contact with the youth justice system.
The West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership’s My Tomorrow campaign is also funding free bus travel for 60 young people who engage with the Youth Crime Prevention Programme at Pat Benson Boxing Academy.
