Amateur boxing is the perfect sport to help young people stay out of crime
In 2023, 18 teenagers were stabbed to death in London as the number of knife crime offences continue to increase
Amateur boxing has been described as the ideal sport to help young people stay out of crime and change lives for the better by those in the boxing community.
Anthony Joshua is one of the greatest role models to emerge from amateur boxing, famously winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics and then becoming a two-time world heavyweight champion in the pro ranks.
However, Joshua was stopped by police in 2011 and charged with possession with intent to supply a class B drug.
Joshua pleaded guilty at court and avoided a non-custodial sentence of 100 hours of unpaid work and a 12-month community order before leaving the world of criminality to pursue greatness.
”All you can do is encourage kids and tell them that if you don’t get away from that culture you’re gonna end up in prison or death or both,” said Rob Buick, the founder and head coach of Cricklewood Boxing Club.
”So you tell them straight. Come in here, get involved in the gym. Get rid of your frustration and anger and take it out on the punch bags. Try and turn your life around.”
Joshua’s story is still relatable to many people in London after 18 teenagers were stabbed to death in 2023.
From a distance, boxing can be viewed as a brutal sport. But according to amateur boxer Harry Martin, lacing up a pair of gloves is more than just learning how to protect yourself.
Speaking about his own journey, 20-year-old Martin said:
“It’s given me a lot of respect and discipline because there’s no discipline these days. Like kids, back in the old day, they were getting beaten up. You wouldn't see them carrying knives around.
“Whereas these days, you’ve got kids with guns, knives, all sorts. You don’t know who’s around the corner and what they’ve got.
“If I didn’t have boxing I wouldn’t be as disciplined and respectful as I am. Not saying I would be on the wrong path but most likely I could be. I don’t know where I would be. Don’t want to know where I’d be.
“There’s a saying, knives down, gloves up. It does keep a lot of people off. When you see like a kid these days, hanging around with the wrong people. Like do something with your life while you can.”
And when it comes to sportsmanship, Martin revealed how there is often mutual respect between two amateur boxers facing each other in the ring.
“It’s in like a civilized area. You go in. You respect before you fight. You beat each other up and then respect after you fight and what you get off the crowd and sometimes it's amazing. You shake hands, you have a bit of a laugh, and stuff like that.”
Martin has had 32 amateur fights and plans to turn professional one day. He trains at Eccles Boxing School in Manchester and has also seen the positive impact of amateur boxing on others.
“We've had people in the gym involved with gangs, knives, stuff like that. We’ve had a professional boxer, he was in a bit of a football gang, Anthony Phythian, at our gym…
“He turned amateur in his mid 30s and then he signed professional in his late 30s…And he’s said boxing is one of the best things he’s ever done in his life.”
However, amateur boxing does not just help those who have lived a life of crime, explained Aamir Ali, the director of Stonebridge Boxing Club.
“Most times you don’t actually get the bullies that walk in through the door…It’s the person that gets bullied that walks through the door…
“When they do that, they do that because they want to change something about themselves, and they want to make themselves better…
”So, you can be the angriest person outside and the most stressed-out person outside and beat everyone up outside. But once you walk through that door, you try that in here, it’s not going to work.
“Boxing is a way of changing your life, but it takes a lot to walk through those doors.”
According to the Office for National Statistics there were 13,503 knife crime offences in London in 2023 when calculated up to the end of June, a 21% increase from 11,197 in the previous 12 months.
But with amateur boxing set to make an appearance at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, it is hoped more young people in England are inspired to put the ‘gloves up’ and put the ‘knives down’.
After all, Charley Davison, Rosie Eccles, and Delicious Orie are three boxers from Great Britain who will be competing and expecting to take home medals.
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About Daniele D’Alessio: Dan is an aspiring boxing journalist currently studying for his NCTJ qualification. Over the last few years Dan has written hundreds of articles for websites such as GiveMeSport, Sportskeeda and WorldInSport in addition to conducting several interviews with professional and amateur boxers.
