Dad knew exactly what to do after moving to Walton

A dad knew what to do after moving to a new area of ​​Liverpool.

Mat Tyrer, 38, is originally from Whiston. When he moved to Walton with his wife Emilia, son Max and daughter Louise a few years ago, he noticed the area was missing something.

Speaking to the ECHO, he said: “I boxed as a kid to get out of trouble. When I moved to Walton, I noticed they didn’t have (a club). I wanted to bring my boy into boxing.”

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Mat, along with a group of other volunteers, set about converting a building on Heathcote Road into a dedicated boxing club. He said: “The building we are in now used to be a gym with a boxing ring in it.

“In 2018 we hit the ground running with England Boxing registration and volunteer engagement and sorting structures with the kids.”

Mat and others went on to make Walton ABC one of the best boxing clubs in the region. He argues that the club is vital to improving the lives of young people in any area. His son Max is a regular at the gym, while his daughter Emilia used to train there.

Mat said: “We get all different types of children. In Walton, we take in children from families who don’t have much. Kids who maybe don’t do well in school and get kicked out. In the gym, there are the cutest kids in the world.

“They are very respectful of those around the gym. What we do with the older ones, we make them smaller friends with them. My boy is 10 – he looks at 13 year olds.

“At the weekend we had children from primary school to school leavers. They took care of each other. The camaraderie was great.”

Mat says the example of other Merseyside boxers, compared to the higher costs in other sports such as football, are making the sport increasingly attractive to Merseyside youngsters and their parents.

Mat said: “My boy plays football. That costs me £50 a month for ground fees and referees.

“With our club, we get a peppercorn rent. We have an honesty box by the door for those who come to the gym.

“People like Natasha Jonas are an inspiration. People see boxing as accessible regardless of your race or how much money your parents have.

“There is a perception that boxing clubs are a tough place to go. Our hall is. But at our gym, everyone is welcome and no one is under pressure to compete and box. There are some who come every week who don’t get involved and that’s okay.

“Those who do, we invest in extra sessions so they can compete.”

This work is starting to pay off. One of his boxers, Aiden Farahani-Corbett, competed at a national championship last weekend. This weekend he and 26 other boxers will represent the Merseyside and Cheshire region at the England Boxing Schools National Finals in Newcastle.

Mat says the young boxers deserve the most credit. He said: “It has progressed naturally over the last few years. We are where we wanted to be, with the kids getting involved in the championships.

“It is our first step in this journey. It is an achievement for us, a first step to reach the first place. It is testimony to the region.

“Aiden, who is in the final, is 6ft 1. He looks like a grown man. But he is the nicest, most polite young man. He is such a cute kid and mixes well with others. All egos are left at the door.

“I was telling our treasurer last night – Sunday was misunderstood. It’s big for the club. It’s the first of many for most of us.”

This is not to say that running the club is completely straightforward. The club relies on the work of volunteers like Mat and grants from boxing and other organizations to keep going.

He said: “If it were up to me there would be boxing gyms in every postcode.

“We don’t get paid, the kids don’t – we do it for the love of the sport. The level of techniques throughout the country is simply phenomenal.

“Merseyside and Cheshire as a region year on year for sport is growing and growing. New clubs to come.

“Kids keep coming to boxing. It’s like football without fans. Without these children there would be no boxing. Right across the region, there are some absolutely fantastic fighters who can go on to make big names for themselves and fight in the arena one day.”

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