Tommy celebrates club centenary, while also looking to bright future
TOMMY McDonagh has reflected on the incredible success Collyhurst and Moston Boxing Club have had after a book was released celebrating their 100th anniversary.
A book on the club’s centenary has been written by John Ludden, detailing the history of one of the country’s most prestigious boxing gyms.
There are plenty of notable inclusions in the book, such as Pat Barrett, Scott Quigg, Michael Gomez, Anthony Farnell, Robin Reid, Michael Jennings, Matthew Hall and McDonagh himself.
The club was famously run by legendary boxing figure Brian Hughes for a number of years, with McDonagh and Barrett now at the helm. McDonagh is honoured to be such an integral part of the gym, and he is well aware of just how much Collyhurst and Moston means to a lot of people.
“The love for the club is massive. People talk about the club and the big characters like Brian Hughes and Pat Barrett, but there are so many others who have given so much to Collyhurst and Moston,” McDonagh told M.E.N. Sport.
“It’s been a massive honour for me to be so involved.
“Brian asked me years ago to take the club over and I said I wasn’t ready, but I remember my wife telling me to take it on as I’ll never look back and will love it.”
Along with its past accomplishments, the gym is currently going through another successful period, and McDonagh has high hopes about the future.
“There is a good winning team full of amateurs coming through, and then in the professional ranks you have the likes of Zelfa Barrett and Lyndon Arthur leading the way, with a few others too,” he said.
Collyhurst & Moston Boxing Club: 100 Years: The Official History of Manchester’s Premier Boxing Gym is available now.