Burke's Law

"Rule number one: don’t believe anything you read. Rule number two: only believe half of what you see. Rule number three: believe everything I tell you and you won’t go wrong."

Paul Burke, Preston's one and only British and Commonwealth boxing champion, recited those three rules like somebody who has repeated them many times. Although his answer wore a cheeky grin, it was obvious the question posed to him was one he felt uneasy about. Understandable really.

The question was about the lightweight champion's 1997 fight with Zambian boxer, Felix Bwalya, who died two days after the controversial match. Media reports of the incident are conflicting and varied. The BBC website categorises the fight under 'Boxing's deadly toll,' whilst other websites blame Bwalya's celebratory binge drinking after winning the fight. With the controversy that surrounds the sport, it is easy to see how the media have jumped on the story, eager to blame boxing's deadly image.

"I'm a fighter. I get knocked down and I get back up again."

Malaria killed Felix Bwalya. Paul Burke is adamant about that. "He died because of the inadequacies of the country and the medical staff. He shouldn't have been boxing if he had malaria. There wasn’t even a doctor there after the match."

The dad-of-five told of how a young student was plucked from the crowd to put four stitches into his eye after the match in Zambia: "I went outside and I said 'has anyone got the balls to put stitches in my eye?' The lad who was pushed forwards was only young. I couldn't believe there wasn't a doctor."

"I felt so fortunate it wasn't me in that country," he added.

After Bwalya died, Burke was asked to appear on Sky Sports as a guest. "They just wanted an emotional reaction from me, tears and everything, in the name of entertainment and that really annoyed me."

Now the 42 year-old is unfazed by the media's scrutinising eyes. "I'm a fighter. I get knocked down and I get back up again," he says with incredible optimism.

And that's the thing with Burke. He is optimistic about everything. "My glass is always half full. I always turn a negative into a positive. Life's too short."

Burke punches the air in victory

He says his 'half-full glass' makes him a better boxer than he ever has been. Even after retiring from boxing in 1999 after "falling out of love" with it, he feels a changed man and is ready to show everyone exactly what he's made of once again.

He's just started training again and does sparring at Larches and Savick Amateur Boxing Club. He's adamant, however, he doesn't want to be a professional again even though he admits he thinks about it "every day for about three seconds." Next year he dreams of owning a boxing academy so he can work with kids and teach them what he knows. He admits even though he doesn't feel the passion he once felt for boxing, it will always be there urging him to reach for the gloves.

"You don't fight your opponent. You're fighting the board, the trainers..."

"I've never really stopped boxing. It's always been in my blood. I talk about it, I read about it, I buy all the magazines and watch it on the television."

Why, then, did he retire from being a professional?

"You don’t fight your opponent. You’re fighting the board, the trainers. It’s all about the money. That’s life but you’re constantly battling against board officials, dodgy promoters. They are all trained to work against you. The boxer loses out. My promoter was also the manager of one guy I fought. How can you promote two fighters? He wasn’t bothered about my interests."

Burke also spoke about the way in which he was forced to change as a boxer. Confidence and bravado are two of the things boxers often show in the ring. In 1993 he won the British and Commonwealth Lightweight Championship in a match he "wasn't supposed to have won." He said the odds were stacked against him in his fight with Irish champion Eamonn Magee aka The Terminator.

"Of course I expected to win," he grinned. "When we pulled into the hotel from the taxi he was stood there being interviewed on tv. My manager pushed me out the door, the taxi had barely stopped and I was running towards him and I interrupted the interview, shook his hand, and said I’m going to take the title off you tonight and he was speechless. Then I just walked off but that was my manager’s fault because that’s not really me and he was pushing me into being like that. It was all bravado and that’s the thing about boxing. It’s all bravado."

Although he says it isn't him, Burke's 'be-the-best' coaching is embedded in him. Not that it's a bad thing. "I want to be the best at everything I can do," he admits. And why the hell not?

He's a fighter and always will be. He's been knocked down before but now he's stronger than ever. As Burke prepares to slip his eagerly waiting boxing gloves back on, we can be certain we'll be seeing much more of him back in Preston's boxing scene again.

Boxing in Schools: A good combo or a recipe for disaster?

Everyone has an opinion on boxing. The British Medical Association would prefer to see the controversial sport banned, many people enjoy watching it on the television when a hyped up match is on, some think it’s too violent and others travel to the other side of the world to watch their favourite champ battle it out.

World champion boxer, Joe Calazaghe, however, believes there are so many benefits to boxing, it should be introduced in all schools and be core part of the curriculum. He said:

“Too many kids of 14 or 15 years old are getting drunk because they have nothing to do – boxing would take away unwanted aggression and give them something to aim for.” (Wales Online)

He goes so far to say boxing should be “mandatory” in schools.

Photograph courtesy of Flickr

First let’s look at the positives to this.

Boxing is widely believed to be a sport that teaches more than how to throw punches. “It teaches respect and discipline,” said Robert Smith, who is the general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control.

It is these two factors: respect and discipline, which are mentioned a lot when people talk about the benefits of boxing.

“Kids today have no discipline. Boxing in schools is a good idea,” agreed Jimmy Moon, who is a coach at Larches and Savick Amateur Boxing Club.

There is also the fitness aspect of boxing. Preston’s British and Commonwealth boxing champion, Paul Burke, believes there is no other sport that can compare to boxing.

“It gives you agility, speed, strength and it’s mentally challenging. There’s a lot more to boxing than just fighting,” he said.


CONCERNS


It is the reasons for bringing boxing into schools which worries some people. Should it be brought in to tackle bullying, fitness, self-defence, concentration or all of these? Most people will agree that any type of sport is beneficial in terms of fitness but when it comes to tackling bullying, some are worried that boxing could be introduced for the wrong reasons.

Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Councillor Julie Buttle, who is lead member for children and young people, is concerned that kids’ newly found boxing skills could be used as a form of defence. “I’d be worried that we would be getting children to defend themselves with their fists. I don’t think that’s the way we should be going with it. I think it’s a good idea from a physical education point of view. It’s also good as a way of getting aggression out of their system but there are other issues there like why have they got that aggression? There should be other ways to tackle it such as identifying why it’s there.”


KIDS WILL BE KIDS


It is the idea of kids being able to control their new found fighting ability, which is perhaps one of the most worrying aspects of introducing boxing in schools.

Councillor Julie Buttle compares it to her first driving lesson: “My instructor said to me ‘this is a machine, that in the wrong hands can kill’ and it was something that was as blunt as that which then gave me respect for the vehicle because you know if it’s not handled properly it could become a machine that kills and its exactly the same with boxing.”
Would children be able to control such power?

Chris Gornall, a teacher at Ashton-on-Ribble High School predicted they may use their boxing skills in a more sinister way. “If they have a reputation of being a very good boxer in school then they are going to use that fear factor to their advantage.”

It seems that, although a good idea in theory, boxing could do more damage than good


THE STIGMA


Robert Smith, general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, thinks people are too harsh on the controversial sport. “I bet the same people who say boxing is dangerous wouldn’t say the same thing about kids taking part in judo or other contact sports.”

Indeed boxing, in particular, has often had bad press. The British Medical Association thinks it should be banned and the media is quick to slam the sport whenever a boxer declares so much as a headache. What hope does it have, then, of being introduced as part of school curriculum?

Several schools in London are teaching boxing to their youngsters and so far it’s had a positive effect, according to reports. Boris Johnson aims to tackle London youth crime by supporting the sport, believing it will teach the kids some good old-fashioned discipline.

So what about up North? A few phone calls I made to Preston high schools revealed that we’re not quite ready to embrace boxing amongst kids. Many of the operators I spoke to almost recoiled in disgust when I asked them whether boxing was made available to Preston school kids.

The reality of Calazaghe’s proposal is unlikely. Although boxing has been clinched by some schools, it is far - fetched to imagine it being introduced in all schools and being a core component of the national curriculum. Even with its boasts of teaching much needed discipline and respect, not everyone can come to terms with the thought of children throwing punches at each other in the name of sport. Until everyone can accept it, mandatory boxing in all schools is a distant prospect. For now anyway.

Click play on the video below to listen to Preston shoppers' opinions on boxing in schools.

Larches and Savick Amateur Boxing Club: A Knockout in the Face of Crime

Discipline starts here.’ This is the first rule a new boxer learns when they walk through the door of Larches and Savick Amateur Boxing Club for the first time. They can’t really ignore it. A neon yellow sign with the words written across it in big capital letters is one of the first things you see when entering the club.

And the coaches mean every word. “Kids today have no discipline,” said Jimmy Moon, who coaches at the club four nights a week.

“We don’t mess around here if the kids are naughty. They realise straight away. We’ll warn them first and if they carry on we’ll suspend them.”

The message is loud and clear

CRIME DROP

Maybe it’s the straight talking coaches who have helped reduce crime in Larches by 75%. Since the club opened in June 2002, police have noted a massive drop in crime in the area.

Keith Swift, 71, who has won an Army boxing championship twice, says it’s down to the discipline learnt by youngsters at the club.

“Boxing makes you understand why there are rules. One of the biggest things you learn when you box are rules,” he explained.

“As well as that, it gives the Larches kids something to aim for and commit to. In terms of aggression, boxing helps them to channel their anger into a certain area so they do not need to use it on the streets.”


COMMUNITY


Delicia Davy takes her 11-year-old son, Michael, to the club up to four times a week. For four hours a week, she proudly watches Michael from the side of the ring.

“It’s one big happy family here. It’s really community-driven and everybody gets on really well. It’s good exercise and it keeps him off the streets.”

Michael, who’s heroes are Ricky Hatton and David Haye, agreed that the club gives him somewhere to go once the school day is over. “I’d get so bored if I didn’t come here,” he admitted.

“We take kids in who would otherwise be hanging round the streets,” the club chairman, Joe Kilshaw said. “The area would be a lot worse if it weren’t for the club.”


DEMAND


The Catforth Road club has proved to be so popular it has had to turn budding boxers away because it is simply too small.

Next year, however, will see a brand new club being built. It will be much bigger and will boast two boxing rings, shower rooms, disabled facilities, a store room and offices.

With a brand spanking new club to look forward to, the Larches estate may see its crime statistics decrease even more. One thing is for sure, they won’t have to turn any more kids away again.



Watch the video below to see the Larches boxers in action.

Where are all the poppies?

It is four days until Remembrance Sunday and I have yet to see somebody selling poppies. I've noticed that over the years, there seem to be less and less poppy collectors and I think it is very very sad. The Royal British Legion's website admits that,



"Each year our Poppy People numbers drop by thousands, as many of our older collectors decide that they can no longer assist us. They have well and truly done their bit, and now we need to focus on new faces to come forward and lend a hand."



I used to see cadets and proud war veterans eagerly selling poppies around shopping centres in droves. Last year I saw a few volunteers outside Asda. It does seem, though, that poppy sellers are dwindling fast. I will keep looking out for them but I urge you all, if you have a poppy, wear it with pride and let me know where I can get one from!



What do you think? Have you noticed this or, in your area, are poppy collectors still thriving? Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Welcome

Welcome to my first blog post. This blog is all about Preston, and in particular, two 'areas' of Preston: Larches (a small ward in Preston) and local government (all things council related). Hopefully it will be useful to me throughout my Journalism studies at UClan, and also you, the reader. Enjoy!