Boxers get ready to rumble in new home

Bridgnorth Boxing Academy has moved in at the Hive Works in Grove Crescent, Low Town, and welcomed mayor Kirstie Hurst-Knight to cut the ribbon on Saturday.

The club has been running for around a year, giving children as young as five as well as adults the chance to learn the sport.

Sean Powell and Yassar Naseer founded the club after hearing that aspiring boxers in the area found themselves having to travel to Telford or Wolverhampton. The club works in partnership with Bright Star Boxing Academy in Shifnal.

Sean said: "We were at the gym on the estate but because of social distancing, the owner couldn't accommodate us. We've been doing one on one sessions and we had a couple of weeks at the village hall, but we weren't able to offer enough sessions for the amount of people interested.

"Now we're able to offer double the sessions prior to Covid over five or six days a week.

"At the moment we're doing sessions with maximum six people in line with the guidelines. There's no sparring or pads, it's mostly bag work, circuits and footwork drills. It makes it more difficult to formulate sessions but people have been enjoying it.

"We had a bit of an open day so it was an opportunity for people to have a look round. We had about 30 people come at different times slots. We only got the keys on Wednesday so we've been working day and night to get it ready. It was a good chance for us to see how everything will work so we can keep it Covid-safe."

The club was set up with the hope that one day it will develop fighters to compete in the amateur ranks.

Members of the club recently did a sponsored canal walk to raise £500 for equipment. They were prompted to do so due to worries that coronavirus rules and safety may mean all boxers will need their own gloves, towels and other equipment.

Anyone interested in boxing session or joining can contact Sean via bridgnorthboxingacademy@outlook.com or 07538 275960.