COACH Paddy Fitzpatrick is urging anyone to get involved with his new community project Boxing Clever.
The project, funded by the Education & Skills Funding Agency, targets young people, not in education, employment, or training and begins this month at Fitzpatrick’s Boxing Gym in Ferndale Road.
It is designed to improve their mental health, diet, and fitness, among other skills.
Paddy, who has trained the likes of George Groves and Swindon’s Luke ‘Duke’ Watkins. Now, said: “I’ve been a pro manager and pro coach for 24 years. I want something a bit more than that.
“It’s an opportunity to hook people that are not interested in education to get them in here and get them to do boxing.
"Bit by bit, I start introducing the education to them, but I introduce it in such a way that it’s related to boxing.
"They don’t think it’s to do with education, even though I’ve told them that it is.
"They see it as interesting because it’s something to do with boxing”.
Paddy revealed one way of teaching those who join the project is to help them develop better English by educating them about boxing contracts.
Paddy said that those wishing to pursue a professional career in boxing would have one of the best platforms to do so.
He said: “The pros that have come through here, why would you not believe you could get to where they got to?
"You’re in the same gym, the same coach, so why can’t you do the same things they did? It starts to make it real that this is possible.
"Sugar Ray Leonard had a coach, Muhammad Ali had a coach. If they knew it all, why did they have a coach? Success breeds success.”
The Boxing Clever adult class is for people aged 16 and over. There is also a 12-15-year-old class.
Paddy has been in touch with one school for the younger class, with eight school children already signed up to take part. He revealed that he had received positive feedback from both parents and teachers.
He said: “The feedback has been nice from the teachers, and parents contacted the school. They said ‘I’ve had a conversation with my child. We’ve never had a conversation about school. Now he wants to chat about school’. It’s just cool.”
Those wishing to register their interest in the project, or to refer a young person, can contact Paddy directly on 07917 104000 or email fitzpatricksboxinggym@gmail.com.
The project in association with The Hub Swindon and Wiltshire CIC.
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