Fighting for the future at Eglinton ABC

After an initial set of boxercise classes at the Fountain’s Cathedral Youth Club (CYC) in recent weeks a fully blown cross-community interest in the art of pugilism has blossomed at Eglinton ABC.

The secretary and coach of Eglinton ABC, Jim Knox, who works within Sports Development at Derry City Council as a part-time boxing coach was sent to areas such as the Fountain, Lincoln Courts and Nelson Drive to hold fitness classes at local centres.

The classes linked in with men’s health programmes already being run at the CYC and when then ended Jim Knox encouraged the participants to continue on at his local boxing club.

Now each Thursday a bus leaves the Fountain and collects people all across the Waterside to travel to Eglinton.

Jim Knox said: “It was a mixed club anyway in terms of religion but this is simply adding to the nature of the event.”

And, Graham Warke of the CYC said: “It’s getting to the stage when we are going to have to hire a bigger bus to carry everyone out.”

Eglinton ABC is the only boxing club in the Waterside and currently boasts around 40 male and female members starting at six-years-old right up to senior fighters.

“It’s an absolutely brilliant set-up and you are assured of getting fit with boxing training. It’s great to see everyone getting on so well together,” said Graham Warke.

Proof of the cross-community nature of the event is that the Department of Social Development recently approved funding via its Active Citizenship Programme to keep the event running on.

And proof that everyone is working together was also revealed in that the entire group are planning to travel to the next available Carl Frampton fight in the UK.

“These are not children we are talking about, these are all adults and there is no animosity which is great to see,” said Jim Knox.

And as additional boost to the fortunes of the boxing club this weekend fourteen members will travel to Manchester to see how life is at the sharp end of the professional game as they have been invited to take part in a full training session at Ricky Hatton’s gym.

Jim Knox said he spotted a competition online to be selected and the club was successfully chosen.

It is not clear yet whether ‘The Hitman’ himself will be present but with Hatton opening a string of new gyms recently as well as establishing and promoting his own stable of fighters the explosive Mancunian may well be on the hunt for his next world champion!