MILESTONE
The Hooks club opens a gleaming gym as it starts a new era, writes John Dennen
THE Powerday Hooks boxing club has opened a new, top of the range gym in Acton. Although it has been a long road to get there. The club would have re-opened earlier this year but a fire was started and nearly destroyed the new facility. But it has now been refurbished and is open for business.
Head coach Steve Newland told Boxing News, “It broke our hearts and we thought that was it. When I got the phone call I thought it had burned down.”
“[But] it’s a dream come true,” he continued. “We’ve had 30 champions in our time and another 30 finalists, England internationals, GB championships. We’ve got better and better. This is just the right time for us to go to another level.”
Powerday has been instrumental, bringing together the London Borough of Ealing, Sport England, Big Lottery, Old Actonians Sports and Social Club and the local ward forums of Ealing Broadway and South Acton, with all these groups providing support for the club.
For the last six years the club has been running anti-knife crime campaigns and raising awareness of the issues, since the tragic death of Luke Fitzpatrick, who was killed in a random attack. His mother, Constance attended the opening of their new gym, as did Olympic gold medallist and former world champion James Degale, who put on a display of padwork, and ab work, for all those in attendance.
Degale recalled, “If it weren’t for boxing, I know you always hear it with these boxing stories for people growing up, but boxing saved me.
“I was mischievous, I was naughty, it gave me focus, it gave me a goal. It taught me discipline. I owe boxing a lot.”