THE owners of two boxing gyms in Bradford have backed calls from industry leaders and MPs for more funding for the sport.

Khalil Aman, who runs the Lion Gym in Greengates, and Tony Griffith, who runs Carlton Boxing Academy, said funding will help many clubs stay in business and also enable them to operate more professionally.

They also both raised concerns that 11 months with gyms mostly shut and competitive fighting impossible has led to many youngsters being lost to the sport, and potentially turning to a life of crime, and also impacted people's mental health.

It comes following calls for more support from Bradford East MP Imran Hussain, who has co-signed a letter from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Boxing to Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston asking for financial support for boxing gyms after the sport missed out on Sports Winter Survival Package funding.

The calls have been backed by world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and prominent boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

READ MORE: Imran Hussain and Anthony Joshua call for financial support for amateur boxing gyms

Mr Aman said his gym in Robin Mills will survive due to steps taken to cut overheads, but many other gyms may not be as lucky.

He said: “There’s been lots of stops and starts with the gym and it’s understandable with what’s happened, but for gyms with big overheads it’s difficult to manage in these circumstances.

“The Council have provided some financial support but it’s difficult in the current climate for us. We rely on public funding, and if there’s no customers coming in it’s tough for us.

“There is some funding available, but so many people are competing for it.

“We’ll survive because we sorted things out but a lot of amateur boxing clubs have already completely closed due to Covid and gone out of business.

“I think for clubs like ours if the Government gave extra funding through England Boxing to all affiliated clubs it would be a great help, if that were available.

“Sometimes there is a certain criteria for funding and not all clubs reach that high bar, so it would really help if it could be made easier."

Tony Griffith agreed, and said more support would "help boxing help itself" in future.

He said: “Fortunately, I’ll be able to come back and I’m feeling positive about the future. I run the gym voluntarily but for many people their gym is a significant form of income so this has been detrimental to them.

“We could have done with quite a bit more support. Other sports organisations have had funding but boxing has been left out of that, and a lot of that is because people are in boxing for the passion and to support their community rather than as a business making money, so I suppose that’s a problem we have.

“I’d like to see some direct funding for boxing, but boxing has to do something too. We’re all so busy running the clubs we forget there are ways of doing things that would help us help ourselves.

“We don’t always have the resources to set a company up properly. We need to help each other more as an industry sharing best practice to get clubs to a better level to attract more funding.

“That’s where funding would be great.”

Both men highlighted the crucial role boxing plays in keeping young people on the straight and narrow and also in improving people's physical and mental health.

Mr Griffith said his athletes have been "depressed a lot of the time" because they cannot train and fears some may be lost to crime.

“It’s been extraordinarily difficult to engage with youngsters outside the boxing gym," he said.

"In the gym they learn respect and discipline, it’s something we develop over many years, but this has been a year out of that routine.

“Some of our boxers have told me how depressed and sad they feel a lot of the time because they cannot train; this was their place to focus, burn off some energy and to socialise but now they can’t.

“Sadly crime is an inevitable symptom for some and I’ve seen and heard some things. Barkerend and the BD3 area has been a hotspot for crime not just in Bradford but in the country and the problem is the youngsters have nothing to do, everything is locked down, they can’t do anything.

“Gym’s can’t open, and boxing is quite an intimate sport with the close contact, which sadly is an ideal setting for Covid to spread. It would be irresponsible to continue boxing, and as a result it has stopped all over the country.

“What are the kids going to do? There’s only so long you can sit on a computer or watch TV, they want something real and boxing is great for that. It’s the ultimate leveller, in the ring it doesn’t matter how rich you are or how much education you have, it’s personal and it’s about boxing.

“With the gym shut, the youngsters in the area have lost their sense of belonging to something and naturally will look for something to replace it, and unfortunately crime is one of these things; it helps get them what they want quickly and easily."

Mr Aman agreed, and has already experienced the feeling promising young men have drifted away from the gym and into a life of criminality.

He added: “Boxing is needed, not just to get kids off the streets but also to help with people’s mental health. It’s an outlet for anger and anxiety to come in and train and manage their issues. I’ve spoken with people and they are isolated now and their health is suffering, I’ve heard some horror stories.

“Clubs like ours are so important, we’re based in areas where a lot of help is needed. We’re right next to an estate. Boxing is a very popular sport with younger people, whereas others which have had support are less appealing.

“This is what draws the young people in, and why I developed Lion Gym. It’s to get them off the streets and away from crime and stop them from going the wrong way in life.

“But the stop start of Covid has seen us lose a lot of the young people. We had one lad who was going down the wrong path and we got him into the gym and focused on boxing, but with Covid I fear we’ve lost him forever.”