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06/25/2008 Archived Entry: "Thriving ‘Wiggan ABC Club’ Mirrors Boxing Boom in England"
Thriving ‘Wiggan ABC Club’ Mirrors Boxing Boom in England
By Samuel Connell
In the past couple of years the sport of boxing has begun to hit the headlines like it once did many years ago. For a short while some people would say the sport took a back seat to Football, Cricket or Rugby until a large fight came about, but now the sport is once again in the spotlight.
Over the last 15 years the sport has had fantastic champions such as Lewis and Williams slugging it out in the ring, but it is present day fighters that, although some would say are equally as talented, have been in the news on an almost weekly basis. Fights such as Hatton vs. Mayweather, Haye vs. Maccarinelli and the more recent Kahn vs. Gomez have gained so much publicity that people of all ages have been donning their boxing gloves and hammering it out in the gyms, with dreams of one day reaching the top.
Boxing has been gathering momentum with fights reaching not just the sports pages but headlining some of the top newspapers and gaining the recognition the sport truly deserves. Although it is sometimes perceived as a dangerous sport, people are still flocking to the amateur clubs in search of a ring.
One of the boxing clubs that has been receiving a large amount of applications is Wigan A B C. This is based inside an old church in Wigan, Lancashire. I chose to have a look at this club to see the impact of the rise in kudos the sport has had on amateur boxing clubs.
Inside, the gym is much larger than it seems from the outside and has every type of equipment. A large ring is sited to the left side of the building with steps leading up to it. Mirrors fill the center of the gym, along with skipping ropes, which are perfect for boxers’ stamina, balance, leg and abdominal strengthening. On the right side of the gym is a large set of barbells ranging from the lighter to much larger, heavier weights. These help the boxers improve their strength. Along the walls hang four large punching bags, which help with the boxers practice and train before a fight.
One of the trainers is Peter Connell, who also manages some of the boxers. He explained how the club had been running on and off for seventeen years and had trained professional boxers such as Martin Murray, Pat Barret and Craig Lyon. He showed me photographs of the members in action along with the awards the club had won.
I asked if there had been a sudden increase in applications after the fights such as Hatton vs. Mayweather or Calzaghe vs. Hopkins. He explained how the club constantly has people applying with only a few eventually making it, and how he plans to expand by taking boxing into schools. He also described how several months ago a local school had contacted him to inquire if it would be possible to teach boxing to their pupils. After the success of an initial session, the main Sports School in the area has requested his participation in coaching their pupils.
Connell firmly believes that this is a way of getting youths off the streets and teaching them discipline. Boxers from the club have had fights all around the country and eight or nine of their boxers are going to Cyprus on October 23rd to take on contestants from the British Army who are stationed there.
Peter’s son, Jack, was one of the young boxers at the club who’d been training the whole time I’d been there. After his workout, Jack introduced himself and said that although he has only been fighting eighteen months, he has had seven fights and has only lost one – and this was on points. His main ambition would be to fight in the Commonwealth Games, but he plans to take one step at a time. He feels that it is important to put his education first, but is truly committed, as are all the boxers at the club, when it comes to furthering his boxing.
This club is a perfect example in demonstrating how this fantastic sport is heading back to its headline status of years gone by.
