On 19th May, I will be fighting in the Future Dreams White Collar Fight Night. Please support me on my mission to raise money for Carney's Community Centre in Battersea and Fitzroy Lodge Amateur Boxing Club in Lambeth, two small London Charities that support and engage young people through boxing, taking disadvantaged and excluded young people off the street and away from a life of crime and despair, giving them skills, discipline and self-respect and the opportunity to be the best people they can be.

On 31st August 2020 my mother died in a tragic accident whilst on holiday, changing my life forever. Receiving a phone call and hearing that one of the people you love most in the world has been taken from you is something that haunts you every day. I went from living a carefree life, with a great family, girlfriend, friends, dog and job, to suddenly feeling lost, trapped in a life that I no longer understood, feeling alien emotions and vulnerability which I thought only others felt.

18 months ago, my sister and I were introduced to boxing and it has become a source of comfort for me and a sport that has enabled me to positively channel and process my grief and trauma, helping to improve my mental health and general wellbeing. We have been training with Rupert Harmsworth based at Carney's, and with Mark Reigate, Head Coach and Co-Founder of Carney's and Fitzroy Lodge. I have got to know Mark and learnt first-hand how his passion to improve social mobility and community cohesion is vital to the success of these two charities that rely entirely on voluntary donations for survival.

Mark, an ex-boxer himself, with over 100 amateur bouts under his belt, says:

"Boxing gyms attract all sort of people. From those high up in society to people less so. From policemen to ex-offender. When you walk through those boxing doors to train everyone is the same, all equal. You learn to respect people from all different walks of life and all different backgrounds. You can be straight, gay, disabled, from an ethnic minority, it doesn't matter, which is why these boxing clubs are a huge part of the community. Teaching young people the meaning of life and most importantly it's core values".

It is because of what me and my loved ones have been through, and seeing first-hand the benefits to the lives of those disadvantaged young people the two charities have engaged, supported and mentored, that I have decided to raise money and take part in Future Dreams Fight Night 4, an inaugural white collar boxing night.

Please donate now and help me raise money for these two brilliant charities to enable them to continue working with the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people in society. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be the best person they can be, we just need to continue to help give them the chance.

Find out more about the charity here: https://carneyscommunity.org/