Ringing The Changes After 35 Years
4th September 2006
Midland White City Boxing Club in North Belfast has welcomed substantial funding from the Phoenix Energy for Children Charity that has helped to purchase a new world-class boxing ring
The club’s previous ring was built in 1971 and was in a serious state of disrepair, with the floor full of holes and the ropes both slack and unsafe.
The new larger 18-foot ring provides a safer environment to help the club’s young members improve in their sport without any injury worries. The boxing club was formed in 1971 and has helped create more than 30 champions over the years – including a silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games and several All-Ireland Champions.
Billy McKee, Senior Coach, reflected on the arrival of the new ring by saying: “We are a voluntary club and to get this help has been fantastic. There is a real buzz of enthusiasm around the place that I haven’t seen for many years. We have some great young competitors and now they have this top class ring to train in”.
The Energy for Children Charity, set up by the natural gas industry, aims to raise £100,000 towards the needs of local disadvantaged children and to really make a difference to their lives.
Pictured: Promising young local talent William Huddleston (L) and Carl Frampton (R) are joined by Senior Coach Billy McKee and Stephen Davidson from Phoenix Natural Gas.