A Closer look at Pleck ABC by Daniel Mole Sep 27th 2007

From the outside Pleck Amateur Boxing Club looks like it may have gone one round too many. Step inside though, and it doesn't take long to realise that it's very much alive and kicking. Some would even argue that it's punching above its weight. One such person is Tony Leonard whose association with the club, on the outskirts of Walsall in the West Midlands, goes back 25 years. As a boxer Leonard fought to a decent standard at amateur level, boasting a 12-2 record before hanging up his gloves to turn his attentions to coaching. That was 15 years ago and now, in his role as Head Coach, Leonard is as enthusiastic as ever about the sport and the role Pleck ABC plays within the local community. “An awful lot of local youngsters spend their time here,” explains Leonard as he takes the obligatory £1 off the 40 or so youngsters who have turned up for the evening session. “They come here and just enjoy themselves. They love the atmosphere, the workouts and the discipline side of boxing. “We give them structure and I think they enjoy having somebody to tell them what to do. They all feel part of a team and once they start, they keep coming back.” Pleck is a typical inner-city suburb and it's Amateur Boxing Club is a safe-haven for hundreds of aspiring boxers who come together to train, spa and learn their trade. “They can come here and learn a new skill and discipline. Once they learn to box they don't need to prove themselves on the street. They walk around with their head held high knowing that they are a part of a team, part of a club. “This is a multi-cultural gym. As long as they are a good trainer and a good boxer, it doesn't matter what race or religion they are.” Looking around the gym, there are boxers of all ages and ability being put through their paces by Leonard and his team of coaches. It's not the plushest arena in the world but it has everything Leonard and his wannabe boxers need. You can see the pride they have in their surroundings. It's their home-from-home and, over the years, plenty of fighters have gone on to bigger and better things after cutting their teeth in these humble surroundings. Matty Hough is the latest to step up in to the pro game. The Walsall-born Super Middleweight has a 5-2 record and will be looking to get back to winning ways on Friday night when he features on the undercard of Wayne Elcock's showdown with Howard Eastman at the Coventry Skydome. Other fighters to come out of Pleck ABC include Leigh Hallett, Delroy Spencer and Jason Collins. Not massive names but they have all walked the walk as a boxer. “We've had a few who have gone on to earn a living out of the game, which is great but that's not the be-all and end-all. “Hallett was an excellent amateur. He got a silver medal in the Junior Olympics over in America and has gone on to have a good pro career. Delroy Spencer was an ABA finalist twice over and met the same kid in both fights. The lad was too good for him but he's been a pro for a long time now and been in with some top boys like Ian Nappa, who retained his British Bantamweight Title last Friday. “Jason Collins is another who has earned some good money over the years.” Turning professional is the ultimate aim for the vast majority of aspiring boxers who attend Leonard's five-night-a-week gym but for the Head Coach, boxing is about more than just what you achieve in the ring. “Quite a few lads have started here and gone pro, which is a big part of what this gym is about. If you don't want to be a winner, you don't get involved in this sport. You want to prove that, one-on-one, you can come out on top but we're about much more than that. “We teach the disciplines of boxing both in and out of the ring. I'm proud of all the lads I've worked with both in terms of how they handle themselves in the ring and how they conduct themselves outside of the ring.” As with any ABC, funding is a big issue. However, thanks to a helping hand from both the local authority and local football club, Pleck ABC's future is in safe hands. Walsall Council waiver many of their charges to Pleck ABC seeing it as an important community group that helps to inspire young people. Walsall Football Club also play their part in the ABC's survival. Proceeds from the Football Association's Community Shield, which sees the Premier League winners take on the FA Cup holders at the start of each new season, are shared amongst each and every professional football club in the country. Clubs then nominate three charities to donate their share to and, in Walsall FC's case, one of those registered charities is Pleck ABC. “The football club are great to us,” explained Leonard. “The donation from the Community Shield is a real help and, because we have charity status, we receive a few other benefits. “Walsall Council have also been as good as gold to us, so we're really lucky.” As well as these gestures of good will, Pleck ABC also profit from holding four Amateur Boxing Dinner Shows a year at Walsall FC's Banks's Stadium. The evenings not only bring in valuable income but they also give the club's aspiring boxers a platform to showcase their talents. “These are great nights for everybody and the money we raise helps towards funding the gym. We've got a show there on 18th October and ten of the lads will be matched up. “The lads get a real buzz from these shows and obviously, the money helps to keep us ticking over. We're open five nights a week as well and charge all the lads £1, which all goes towards keeping the club in business.” As well as that Amateur Boxing Dinner Show, Leonard will be entering a number of fighters into the National Novice Junior and Senior Championships that take place next month before turning his attentions to the 2008 Senior ABA Championships. “My all-time dream is to get a Senior Champion. That would be great for Pleck ABC. Like I've said, we've had a couple of finalists but never a winner.” Leonard is hoping that will change in the near future and he is pinning next years hopes on a young heavyweight by the name of Chris Keane. Keane, a 20 year-old local lad, has been a regular at Pleck ABC for the past three years and is hoping to make a name for himself in boxing world. “Boxing is what I want to do, I love to fight,” explained the Walsall-born fighter. “I'm really looking forward to the ABA's and that's all I'm concentrating on. “I need to get a bit fitter to be at my boxing best but I'll work hard to do that between now and then. “I came here just to get fit and lose weight and it's just taken off from there. I've worked hard at my game and, although I have a long way to go, I want to make it in the pro ranks. Tony is a good coach and I know I'm in good hands here.” “Chris is a good lad,” added Leonard. “We've got high hopes for him and hopefully, he will turn pro and earn a living out of the game. “That's the aim of a lot of the lads that come here but, for those lads that don't make it, they still have immense pride in what they do or have done here. “I bump into a lot of lads who have been here. I've trained thousands of fighters over the years and, to a man, everyone who I meet tells me that their time on the amateur scene was amongst the best in their lives. The discipline and team spirit stays with them in whatever they do.” So, after a life dedicated to boxing, Leonard is as qualified as anybody to give his opinion on the state of boxing at the moment. Both locally and nationally, he feels that there is plenty to shout about and predicts a bright future for the sport. “There are some good lads on our patch at the moment. “As well as Matty Hough, you've got big hitters like Wayne Elcock and Don Broadhurst. “The British scene is fabulous at the moment too. Look at Amir Khan. I saw him box four times as an amateur and he was the best boxer I've seen in my life. He had everything and if he doesn't win a world title then there's something wrong. “Then there's Ricky Hatton, who is everyone's hero at the moment. He fights like we all want to fight. He gets stuck in, punches non-stop and has the skill to match. Joe Calzaghe is also a great champion. “Behind them, the likes of Enzo Maccarinelli, Gavin Rees and Alex Arthur are all showing the way. “Boxing has taken off again and the future, at amateur and pro level, looks really bright and I'm proud to play my part in its continued success.”

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