EIGHT young East End boxers are stepping in the ring for a bright future ahead after landing cash awards this week to help their training. The eight from Bethnal Green’s famous Repton club are among the country’s brightest young boxing talent. They won their rounds in applying for grants to Greenwich Leisure sport foundation.
EIGHT young East End boxers are stepping in the ring for a bright future ahead after landing cash awards this week to help their training.
The eight from Bethnal Green’s famous Repton club are among the country’s brightest young boxing talent.
They won their rounds in applying for grants to Greenwich Leisure sport foundation.
The squad—Frank Buggioni, Romeio Wallace, Mark Baker, Danny Arnold, John Lee King, John Ward, Martin Ward and Bret Beadon—get awards from £250 to £500 to spend on training, travel and equipment.
“Repton is a Club worthy of its national reputation,” said the sports foundation’s Peter Bundey. “The performance of these young boxers is testament to this.
“They show the positive influence that sport can have on youngsters in the East End—we want to support this message across London.”
This year alone, five young Repton boxers have won the Golden Gloves national championships and Four Nation Gold medals. Two are among those who won grants this week.
The club’s junior competition secretary Kelvin Wing, who encouraged them to submit applications, said: “What’s importantly for us is knowing organisations like the sports foundation are supporting and thinking about the boxers and keeping in contact with them.”
Repton is probably the most famous amateur boxing club in Britain, with a long track record of producing British and world champions, such as Maurice Hope and John H Stacey, and Olympic Gold medalist Audley Harrison.
The foundation is supported by the not-for-profit GLL leisure operator, which runs centres for Tower Hamlets council including Bethnal Green’s York Hall which is steeped in 20th century British boxing history.
It has active support, advice and Olympic experience from its patron Sally Gunnell.
The young hopefuls from Repton, which is just three miles from the Olympic Park now under construction, have cast their eye on the 2012 Games.
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