By James Bovington
Boxers at Bramley Villagers Club are looking forward to showcasing their skills on their home show at the club on Saturday afternoon (4 July).
Several were keen to share their stories with West Leeds Dispatch.
Pawel Maslanka runs Night Life Security Services in central Leeds.
He said: “I made my boxing debut aged 43 in March having started boxing in 2021 to help cope with post-lockdown depression,” explained the married father of one. “I’d been a weightlifter and footballer. The sport changed my mindset. It’s humbled me to realise I’m not the hardest guy on the show.
“Despite anxiety, fear even, if you do your best in the ring, you become more confident in every aspect of life. Boxing is therapy to me. Because it’s just the hardest sport it makes everything else seem easier.
“There’s also a sense of a brotherhood in the gym where I train four times a week. Everyone is united in the same goal. The lads and the coach are brilliant, lifting each other up. My ambition for this year is to have maybe three more bouts. I must face facts. This is a young person’s game. Let’s see how far I can go before I retire.”
Looking forward to making his debut is utilities worker Kenny Lockwood, 33, who travels over from his east Leeds home.
“Boxing is a new venture for me. The sport runs in the family as my uncle is a former boxer turned coach and it’s him and his son my young cousin Harry Lockwood well known at Villagers who’ve inspired me to take on this challenge.
“I’m a recovering alcoholic, now sober a year. I had three months in rehab and changed my life around. I’ve done other sports especially cross country running and a marathon in Kendal. Excited to see how far I can get with this boxing.”
Ryan Taylor goes by the moniker ‘skrap-iron’ and fights at 67kg. Prior to boxing Ryan, 34, was involved in MMA but had ‘lost confidence in participating’.
He said: “I decided to join Bramley Villagers. Quite frankly turned out to be the best thing I ever did. I now hold two boxing belts and have won half of my 16 bouts. We don’t have easy fights; everything’s well matched. Everyone here is welcoming be it coaches or other boxers. Bramley Villagers has rebuilt my confidence. Now I’ll box absolutely anywhere.”
Bramley’s Josh Stratford and his dad run a building business. Josh was wanting a new activity and now 15 months in the 23-year-old father of a daughter, aged four, is “proud to have won two of my three bouts. I started boxing to get a little escape every day after work. I enjoyed it and realised that I had some ability, so I began competing. I’m using this year as a chance to develop my boxing IQ with the techniques learnt. Hopefully next year I’ll get better known on the local fight scene.”
Brandon Easton, 24, made his debut last autumn and produced a knockout win after 80 seconds. “The quickest on the show. This time I’m hoping to get some proper fighting experience. I train as often as possible fitted around my work. Boxing is helping me be the best possible role model for my three young sons. I want to show them what’s possible and keep a clean record.”
Noah Myers, 16, has juggled training with GCSE exams. “I’ve had lots of skills or demonstration bouts. I lost my first win/lose bout unfortunately, but I’m determined this time the result will be a whole different story. I’ll make it clear just how hard I’ve been training and how much I’ve improved.”
Richard Manning, 41, is head coach at Villagers. “It’s a local club for local people. The boxers rely on friends, neighbours and families to purchase tickets for the show and are keen to provide an entertaining afternoon of skill and courage.”
Contact the boxers via social media for tickets as soon as possible. There may be limited tickets available on the door. Saturday’s fights start at 1pm.
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