17 AUGUST, 2022 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: With this weekend seeing Anthony Joshua face Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch for the WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine Heavyweight World titles in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia I think it is time that a media outlet shone a light on the local boxing clubs in North East Fife and Tayside. So that is what I intend to do with SHANK over the coming months.
SINCE THE CREATION OF ST ANDREWS GOLF MAGAZINE IN 2013, AND THROUGH TO SHANK IN 2021, THE PLATFORM HAS COVERED GRASS ROOTS SPORT ACROSS THIS AREA UNLIKE ANY OTHER. FROM CLUB GOLF IN ST ANDREWS, COVERING THE NEW GOLF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP, TO OPEN QUALIFYING, AND THE R&A LOCAL CLUBS' GOLD MEDAL, ST RULE TROPHY AND ST ANDREWS LINKS TROPHY. SHANK HAS COVERED RISING STARS OF SCOTTISH GOLF SUCH AS HAZEL MACGARVIE, CONNOR SYME, BRADLEY NEIL, JOHN PATERSON AND CHLOE GOADBY.
THEN IN 2021 SHANK BROADENED ITS SPORTS COVERAGE TO COVER FOOTBALL AT ST ANDREWS UNITED IN THE EAST OF SCOTLAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE, AND CUPAR HEARTS IN THE KINGDOM OF FIFE AMATEUR PREMIER LEAGUE, AND SHANK COVERED HOWE OF FIFE AND HOWE HARLEQUINS IN THE TENNENT'S NATIONAL LEAGUES, AS WELL AS THE HOWE 7'S.
NOW IT IS THE TURN OF ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SPORTS IN THE WORLD. BOXING CAN BE SEEN AS A VIOLENT SPORT, AND SOME ARE VERY MUCH AGAINST IT, BUT NOBODY CAN DENY IT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPELLING EVER INVENTED. BOXING HAS PUT ON SOME OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL EVENTS EVER SEEN IN SPORT, FROM THE ALI-LISTON DUELS, TO THE ALI-FRASIER TRILOGY CONCLUDING WITH THE THRILLA IN MANILA, TO THE RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE, TO HOLYFIELD-TYSON, HOLYFIELD-LEWIS, LEWIS-BRUNO, BRUN0-TYSON, TYSON-LEWIS AND ON THROUGH TO THE 21ST CENTURY'S STARS.
THIS SPORT CAN PUT A NATION ON THE MAP IN WAYS MANY CANNOT AND Boxing can do a lot of good in society, the local clubs can be a saviour for some young people. The sport can also provide several pathways to a career, in the ring as a boxer, trainer, physio or referee, and out of the ring within the media as a photographer, broadcaster or journalist. The sport can also provide discipline and help with fitness. RESEARCH FROM 2020 SHOWS THAT BOXING IS THE SECOND MOST POPULAR SPORT IN THE WORLD, AFTER FOOTBALL, WITH YOUNG PEOPLE, AND IT HAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000 PROFESSIONAL BOXERS WORLDWIDE, AND THERE ARE SOME 1,000 BOXING CLUBS ACROSS THE UK and NEARLY 4,000 IN THE UNITED STATES. BOXING IS THE MOST POPULAR INDIVIDUAL SPORT IN MEXICO AND THE PHILIPPINES.
CURRENTLY, THERE ARE 117 BOXING CLUBS AFFILIATED TO BOXING SCOTLAND, WITH OVER 1,800 REGISTERED BOXERS IN SCOTLAND, BUT THE SPORT IS ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN COMPETITION, WITH MANY MORE USING BOXING FOR FITNESS. SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY PUBLISHED A REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF BOXING CLUBS IN THEIR HOST COMMUNITY IN ENGLAND FOR ENGLAND BOXING, WHICH CAN BE VIEWED HERE. ONE OF ITS CONCLUSIONS WAS "The volunteers who run community boxing clubs are firm in their belief that proximity is key to maximising the demonstration effect, often cited by promoters as one of the benefits of staging large scale events. New participants may find themselves training alongside successful amateur and professional boxers, many of whom happily recognise and understand their status as mentors.
Boxing offers an important lesson to other sports in the way that young participants are able to train alongside and learn from successful adults. Community coaches believe that this tangible form of success within reach provides a significant spur to new boxers, which in their view could and should be replicated in other sports."
RESEARCH BY MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY (MMU) SHOWED THAT "Boxing can indeed be a great hook for change: it gives young people a place to hang out and develop themselves, while also diverting those who might otherwise get involved in crime."
SHANK WORLDSPORT WILL ENDEAVOUR TO COVER THE BIG SHOWPIECE OCCASIONS IN THE SPORT, BUT IN THE MAIN IT IS THE AIM FOR SHANK LOCAL SPORT TO COVER THE SPORT AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL ACROSS THE REGION, DISCOVER A FUTURE STAR AND FOLLOW THEIR CAREER. SHANK WILL SHOWCASE THE LOCAL CLUBS AND GYMS ACROSS NORTH EAST FIFE AND TAYSIDE, AND COVER PROMISING BOXERS FROM THOSE GYMS IN LOCAL AND NATIONAL SHOWS IN THE COMING MONTHS AND YEARS.
So if you run a boxing club in the local area I will be contacting you soon about putting together a feature across shankmedia.co.uk/localsport, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, or if you would like to reach out then please send an email to matt@shankmedia.co.uk.
STAY TUNED TO OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS FOR UPDATES ON FEATURES AND COVERAGE TO COME ACROSS THE PLATFORM.
