Each week we pay homage to a boxing ‘unsung hero’. The lifeblood of the sport - the men and women who have contributed so much and asked for so little, who have saved lives and transformed futures.
This week our attention turns to a man that spends most of his time in a shed in Middleton, Greater Manchester.
A gym set up in his back garden has been the home to national and international champions, and before that thirty years at Boarshaw ABC saw success after success.
We spoke to one of those who benefitted from his tutelage, Maverick Stars Trust coach and former professional fighter Danny Wright.
“Over the last forty years, he’s had thirty odd national champions,” he said. “He’s been a great role model to hundreds of kids, and he’s a very funny guy as well!
“He took me from a nine-year-old to a senior national title and boxing for England numerous times.”
Ben's selfless guidance came outside the gym as well, working to keep young adults in the sport alongside their studies.
“He was a tutor at Hopwood Hall when they had a boxing college there,” he said. “Ben helped young people leaving school have a pathway so they could have a further education but stay involved in boxing.”
Nominate your boxing unsung hero via… twitter: @maverickstars1 / Instagram: maverickstarstrust or our website: www.maverickstars.co.uk
