A BOXING coach is striking a knockout blow to anti-social behaviour – paving the way for glory in the process.
Over the past four years, Samson Boxing Gym, based on Moss Street West in Ashton-under-Lyne, has grown in popularity and regularly attracts a good mix of experienced fighters and complete beginners.
Founded in 2020 by head coach Samson Ogbuehi, the gym has developed a hard-hitting reputation among the local community and even boasts a successful professional.
But aside from the glories and prospective talents, it prides itself on one key objective – reforming the character of unruly youngsters.
It is part of its long-term ambition to strengthen ties with the community, while instilling discipline and building self-esteem among its fighters.
And it appears the concept has been well received in recent months – so much so, a pilot scheme is set to be rolled out to support the gym in its aims and objectives.
Funded by Tameside Council and the local police force, it will invite 10 young men, reported to exhibit anti-social behaviours, to take part in a boxing regime over a month.
If it goes as intended, there is a long-term view to extending the scheme and propelling the entrants into the amateur ranks.
The work is fully endorsed by Benjamin Gort, a father of three originally from Denton, whose 13-year-old son joined the gym at the beginning of January.
Having seen first-hand what Samson has created in the space of four years, he believes the pilot scheme is the next organic step to improving the gym and its growing reputation.
There is also the gym’s highest priority – owning its own facility instead of renting.
Speaking to The Correspondent, Benjamin said: “I’ve been really impressed with how Samson’s managed to assemble a high quality with the level of training he offers.
“The biggest asset is the fact he’s had no support from the council and as a dad with two teenage sons and a daughter, I feel there is a lack of training facilities.
“We need to own our own gym and offer more sessions throughout the day. At the moment, the gym isn’t really used to its maximum potential and, as a side effect of that, we’re not unearthing as many gems as we could.
“After just a few months of training at the gym with my son, I’m a great advocate of what Samson provides and want other people to take advantage of what he offers.
“It takes courage to walk into a gym in unfamiliar surroundings but having experienced it myself I want to stress that it’s a great place to train, improve your fitness and learn a skill.
“I want to reassure people gyms like Samson’s are a staple of the community and play a huge role in a young people’s choices in life.”
Such has been the impact of boxing in four short months, Benjamin, a window cleaner by trade, has opted to take his interest even further and, thanks to support from Tameside Council, which is subsidising 75 per cent of the costs, is taking a course to secure his level one qualification.
It is hoped he will be in a position to assist Samson in more ways as the Nigerian currently juggles his coaching role with a full-time job with the NHS.
But make no mistake, even though Benjamin is happy to engage with the gym in a more official capacity, he also believes more funding needs to be made available to capitalise on what he considers to be a sleeping giant.
He added: “To my knowledge there is £70 million of funding available over the next 10 years to encourage better health in sport.
“There is a mothballed boxing gym in Hattersley which isn’t being used. Hattersley, with the likes of Ricky Hatton, can produce great fighters. There’s so much potential in areas like Hattersley and more needs to be done to keep facilities active.
“Andy Dwyer, who heads the Tameside Sport Network, has been a brilliant source of knowledge with his funding expertise. We’ve had a meeting with him about the ways to move forward by securing grants to further improve the club.
“The expense attached to certain sports is also a barrier to participation. My other son took an interest in rock climbing, and so he pursued it at Pear Mill in Stockport. However, it cost £16 for 45 minutes.
“By contrast, Samson Gym offers a realistic alternative to mainstream sports. I’m thankful that he has taken me on board and entrusted me to help out.”
In a bid to further develop boxing in the borough, Active Tameside has played its part by putting 31 coaches through their level one qualification.
And to hook children from a young age, coaches have been going into schools to teach the sport.
Benjamin believes it will serve the borough well – but insists more can be done to further strengthen the sport’s grip on residents.
He said: “It would be nice to have more consistency when it comes to training sessions and the length at which they run for.
“I also feel there is a lack of parental coaching and education. If you’re a working man or woman, finding the time to coach children can be quite difficult and so it falls into the hands of a few, dedicated people.
“If more funding, or at least more facilities were made available, I think we would see a rise in boxing clubs and an increase in people willing to coach.”
In related news at the gym, rising star Tyson Alaoma is set to fight a Polish opponent this month. He will be hoping to extend his unbeaten start to his professional career to five consecutive wins.