GUEST COLUMN
Ringside Rest and Care continues to make progress but we need your help
Why we need a residential care facility
T TWO weeks before he died in 2018, a former British and European champion was so utterly frustrated with his declining health and wellbeing that he pulled a chunk of hair from his head. He pulled it with such force that a gaping wound was opened. He was at his wits’ end. Seemingly forgotten by the boxing industry, numerous nursing homes couldn’t find a place for him, with some even citing his past as a professional boxer as the reason.
I have been involved in the sport for most of my life and I have regularly seen horrors like this firsthand. I founded the EBA’S British Boxing Hall of Fame because I wanted legends of the sport to be recognised for their achievements in the same way that they are in America; the venture has been a great success. Induction ceremonies are already in place for the next three years such is the event’s popularity.
During my time getting the Hall of Fame up and running I witnessed the extent of the deterioration in many ex-boxers. Of course, plenty are in fine fettle but not all have been so lucky after so many years spent in our dangerous sport. Plenty of former champions are in a truly hopeless condition, but of course, you won’t see those.
Yet what I realised was how being in the company of other ex-boxers and people from the industry, including fans who remembered the good old days, helped them come back to life. It was as if they had taken a pill and ventured back in time. They became alive again.
I remember picking up another ex-champion from a home where he spends so much of his time locked up, upset and confused, and taking him to a place where he used to box alongside fellow former fighters. Within moments he was reeling off names of his former opponents and trainers and talking more lucidly than I’d heard him speak in years.
That was when I came up with the idea of opening a residential home for ex-boxers. One where ex-boxers could live if they needed round the clock assistance or just visit now and again to talk with others about their glory days. One with a cinema screen that shows films of their old fights, one with common rooms where conversation will flow from memory to memory. One with regular visits from the like-minded.
This is not just a pipe dream, by the way. This is going to become reality and, after a year of campaigning and achieving charity status – not easy these days, let me tell you – we are well on our way. The Ringside Rest and Care (Ringside
Charitable Trust) trustees and volunteers have worked tirelessly to raise awareness. The grass roots, amateur clubs and EBA’S, with their generosity and commitment and astonishing acts of charity means we achieved our goals for 2019. It makes our hearts burst with pride to see such wonderful support.
We have some great plans in place for 2020 and some wonderful fundraisers on board. What we don’t have, yet, is support from the top promoters and the country’s high-profile boxers – who, let’s not forget, might need our help one day. They’re the ones who can ensure the home opens quickly. British Boxing needs to stand together then we can truly stand tall and be a world leader.
We all love our sport but it must be acknowledged that it is high risk and, for the unlucky few, can have tragic consequences.
We acknowledge we have the best Board of Control in the world and we want to work alongside them. Let’s all speak with one voice. Do not let these calls for help go unheard. Among the many in dire need are household names.
We cannot fail them.
‘THIS IS NOT JUST A PIPE DREAM. THIS IS REALITY’