Boxing News – July 04, 2019

http://www.boxingnewsonline.net JULY 4, 2019 lBOXING NEWSl 43

AMATEURS

HARWICH held their annual awards
on Tuesday ( July 2). Rio Gordon has
played a starring role this season.
“He won a junior novice national
title in 2016, he won the Youth
Haringey Box Cup last summer and
was judged the best Youth boxer at
the tournament, so there were signs
that he was going to do something
and he’s delivered this season,” head
coach Martin Webb said.
Only 18, Gordon boxed for the
first time without a headguard in the
national Elite championships where
he reached the semi-finals. “It can be
a bit of culture shock,” Webb said.
“He faced Elliot Whale, an 100 plus
[bout] veteran. It was always going
to be a tough one but he more than

held his own and had his moments.”

While he didn’t win a gold medal

at the Haringey Box Cup this season,

in 2018 Harwich had three entrants

who each won gold at the Box Cup.

Paul Gordon, his brother, has also

been boxing well and Cilian Hardy

is progressing into his first year as

an Elite boxer, unbeaten this season

winning five bouts out of five.

Both Rio Gordon and Kilian

Hardy were in action when Suffolk

Boxing Academy staged a team

match against Tyne Tees and

Wear at the Brackenbury Sports

Centre in Felixstowe on May 17.

Facing Hartlepool Elite ABC’s Ben

Henderson, an eight count in the

second round helped Rio’s cause

as he forced the pace throughout

to take a clear unanimous points

decision. Kilian Hardy beat

Rotterdam’s S. Wetterings on a split.

GORDON STARS

This season the Harwich club

is building on its success

MR. AKAY REMEMBERED

THE founder of All Stars amateur
boxing club, Isola Akay was laid to
rest at a funeral service on Thursday
( June 27). He had passed away
peacefully in hospital on June 15.
Mr. Akay, who had been awarded
an MBE, was one of the torch
bearers for the 2012 Olympics and
was recognised as one of London’s
Unsung Heroes by the BBC. Over
the years he supported and helped
countless young people through his
work at the boxing gym.
“My dad started the club. He
started it all those years ago,” Muf
Akay remembered. “That was 45
years ago, 1974.”
He wanted to create a club
that was accessible to everyone.
“Originally it started on the
sixth floor of a block of flats,” he
continued. “Training in the hallway
of the flats. Then the council heard
about this man training up to about
20 of us crammed into the sixth floor
and this is how it sort of started.”
It would become a well
established gym. His son said it was
“to be a safe place [from] the racism
we faced. Over the years my dad
kept the same ethos that everybody
was welcome, it wasn’t black kids or

just white kids, it was for everybody.

It was a club that everybody could

come to, all nationalities, all races,

all religions etc. can come to. What

we found over the years, a lot of the

kids who had issues with the law, at

home, school etc. they found refuge

at All Stars. My dad spent a lot of his

time mentoring them, playing the

father to them and advising them.

He took time out, when some of the

kids got in trouble with the police

he’d go to the police station and try

and get them bail and talk to them.

If boxers were in prison, he’d talk to

them to think about what they were

doing. He was trying to lead to a

better path.

“A lot of people had their chance

to tell their story [after the funeral]

and give a tribute. So a lot came out

about what he did.”

Mr. Akay’s legacy will continue

in the club itself, which despite

troubles remains in place on the

Harrow Road in London. “My sole

focus has been on keeping it going,

even when we faced so much from

the landlord, so much pressure from

them to get out, move out,” said

Muf Akay, who now manages the

club. “We finally got a new lease

now which started this year. The

rent has doubled ... but what can we

do? We have to stay there and we

got the landlord to do the works the

promised to do five years ago.”

“It was a massive long court

battle,” he said. “But they’ve done

the work now and the lease has

started. So now I’m focusing on

moving forward.”

His legacy will continue

through the All Stars club GREAT MAN: Isola Akay

helped and

supported

so many

FORCING

THE PACE:

Gordon [right]

boxes Henderson

Photo: RAINYWOOD PHOTOGRAPHY