Frank Warren commits £1 million to help young people stay out of trouble through boxing
Queensberry Promotions has teamed up with BoxWise Foundation, a charity that helps vulnerable young people stay out of trouble and in school or work. As part of this, Frank Warren will also become the first Chairman of the BoxWise Foundation Development Board and Queensberry today announced that he is committing £1 million to support the charity.
BoxWise is also pleased to announce that Warren’s pledge is being matched by BoxWise Founder Nick Maughan and incoming development board member, Chris Kilvington, both committing a further £1 million each.
Speaking ahead of his visit to a BoxWise session on the 23 July in an Islington boxing club, the borough he grew up in, Warren said: “Boxing has given me everything – friends, a business and happiness – but most of all something to wake up in the morning for, a real sense of purpose and belonging. I remember growing up here on the streets of North London, it was really tough, and life could have easily been different for me. That’s why I am delighted that Queensberry is supporting BoxWise and also proud to become the first Chairman of the BoxWise Foundation Development Board.”
BoxWise delivers 10-week non-contact boxing programmes to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people across the UK, striving to reduce the rates of gang violence and knife crime through sport, community and opportunity.
Founded in 2020 by Nick Maughan CBE and Rick Ogden MBE, it has grown to support over 1,500 young people across the UK annually. Sessions are delivered by accredited England Boxing coaches and are a safe space for young people to focus on their mental and physical health, develop community ties and build foundations for a long and successful future.
Sessions also include a free hot meal, and graduates of the programme are given an opportunity to take part in a pathways programme to support their next steps in education or employment.
BoxWise Director and Co-Founder Rick Ogden MBE said: “We are delighted to welcome Queensberry and are so grateful for their support.
“At BoxWise we help those who are vulnerable to becoming victims and perpetrators of knife crime onto a positive way forward in life through their engagement with the sport. Our work with the Centre for Social Justice reveals that sport interventions have been found to reduce offending by 52 per cent, significantly cutting violent crime. We work closely with the police, community organisations and youth authorities to improve young lives and to positively impact society.”
Jack, a recent BoxWise participant, described the impact of the programme on his life: “Now boxing is my number one priority, it’s my whole life now. In the last 6 months I haven’t missed a single day’s training. Boxing has completely taken over my life, for the better. I’m so much more confident. I stopped smoking because of boxing, I stopped drinking because of boxing, I stopped partying.
“Everything just seems more clear in my mind when I discovered how important boxing was to me. I love boxing…I came from having anger issues, so BoxWise was very good for my mental health as it provides a different outlet for my anger. It’s a good way to get rid of that energy. After a session in the gym, I feel more relaxed mentally – it allows me to put my thoughts in order.”
Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions will deliver a packed card this Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London, as heavyweights Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora lock horns in the main event.