RED TRIANGLE FLYING
Matt Bozeat pro les Everton Red Triangle
THE last few weeks have been good ones for Everton Red Triangle. Bradley Strand winning the National Elite title capped a purple patch for the Liverpool club that also included Reece Gannon and Joe Mcgrail winning Junior ABA honours and Peter Mcgrail earning recognition as the outstanding boxer at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
“We take them from scratch,” said Paul Stevenson, who boxed for the club and has been coach for around 20 years. “We don’t have ABA champions and world champions walking through the door. Just kids off the street.”
Kids like Peter Mcgrail. He was 10 years old when he first went to the gym – and lost his first three bouts. “Defeats early on harden you, make you realise how hard this game is and make you ask yourself how much you want it,” said Stevenson.
“But even when he lost those early bouts, Peter got out of the ring smiling.
“He has always been grounded. That’s one of his strengths. When he wins, he doesn’t think he’s the greatest fighter ever – and when he loses, he doesn’t think he’s rubbish.”
Mcgrail didn’t lose much last year, winning World championship bronze and European gold.
“The Europeans is so hard to win,” said Stevenson. “Good fighters like Amir Khan, Frankie Gavin and David Price couldn’t do it. Luke Campbell won it in Liverpool, Peter won it in the Ukraine – against a Ukrainian. “That’s how special Peter is. “Look at what he’s won – and he’s still only 21. By the time the Olympics come around he will have his man strength as well as the skill and experience.”
Mcgrail is one of around 50 champions the club has produced in the last decade or so and Stevenson himself reached a national final boxing for the club before a detached retina forced him to retire at 21.
Five years later, he was back in the gym. “I bumped into the secretary, was asked to help out with the coaching and more than 20 years later, I’m still there!” he said.
Everton Red Triangle has a proud history. Formed more than a century ago, fighters who have served an apprenticeship there at the club include Nel Tarleton and Dick Burke.
Stevenson currently has 35 amateurs carded and five pros in the gym, including unbeaten heavyweight Alex Dickinson.
Stevenson has previously taken Kevin Satchell and Ryan Farrag from the amateurs all the way to European professional honours.
“The club did go through a bit of a quiet spell,” he said, “but through a lot of hard work, we have built it back up and now I believe we are one of the best in the country.”