Moston, Manchester on a rainy weekday afternoon doesn’t sound the most glamourous of boxing arenas, but it’s environments like this where fighters are made, and titles can be won and lost.
Spend just one afternoon in Collyhurst and Moston gym - home to BlackFlash Promotions and the passion for the sport is evident, it’s on the walls of the work areas and in the blood of the people who run it and train there.
Run by Pat Barrett - himself a former world title challenger and European and British belt holder - this place is not only a sanctuary for boxers who want to step their game up a mark and make an impact on the professional scene, but for children, adolescents, those who don’t want to fall into lives beleaguered by crime and bad influences.
Boxers Lyndon Arthur and Zelfa Barrett are stewarded here - but it’s not those names trainer Pat draws attention to first, instead making reference to the children and families who are eager to get into the sport, his gym or both.
Punch bags and pad work might not be the first thing that springs to mind for a parent-child bonding session, but the chance to train with experienced professionals, instill discipline, encourage health and fitness activity while preparing the next generation for everyday life is one not passed up by many local parents, and Pat knows them all by name - and even which football teams they support!
Watching families in the gym, it’s clear the kids enjoy hitting mitts their parents are holding, and as much as you can see Pat is all for encouraging the activity, he’s also long in the tooth when it comes to knuckling down and putting prospects Lyndon and Zelfa through their paces. His fighters respect his knowledge and his passion, which has so far guided them well - with Zelfa winning on a well publicized card in Leeds last weekend.
As a sport, boxing is interpreted very differently amongst social circles - a competition some label barbaric is embraced by others, and often thought of as an occasion to dress up and view the squared circle under the lights. Regardless, it is undeniable the sport is enjoying a surge in public attention at present, and fighters like Pat’s are the ones tasked with carrying that torch forward.
The work being put in at Collyhurst and Moston Lads Club is apparent and the progression of Arthur and others will be on display November 4th in Manchester, as the fighters representing BackFlash continue to fly the flag.
