Craig Gardner leads way in helping new boxing club

Dec 14 2008

CLARET-and-blue battler Craig Gardner is no stranger to fighting for his place - and now he has branched out into fighting in the ring.

When Gardner is not trying to pack a punch on the Villa Park pitch or bobbing and weaving at Bodymoor Heath, he can be found striking a blow for the newly-formed Bordesley Green Boxing Club.

The England Under-21 star is firmly in the corner of the south Birmingham club and has pledged financial and moral support to try to get youngsters off the streets and into competitive sport.

“I knew a lot of the people that were setting it up and I think what they’ve done is absolutely unbelievable,” said Gardner.

“They’ve taken their own time and effort to renovate a factory into a gym to keep kids off the street by getting into boxing and hopefully making a career out of it.

“There’s some really good boxers there. One or two of them are boxing for England against Germany on Friday and they’ve got their own show on Saturday.

“It’s just really great that they’ve done it off their own backs and, with a little bit of help, they’ve transformed it into something great.”

Gardner, who grew up in Yardley, just down the road from Bordesley Green, believes it is important for footballers to help talented youngsters who are less privileged than themselves to realise their sporting ambitions.

They deserve it,” he said. “Footballer or no footballer, if you can help you should do so, especially when people have put the time and effort in for kids to box.

“It’s just around the corner from where I’m from and I know all the lads that have organised it. They haven’t come to me and said ‘Craig, can you do this?’ I’ve heard about it, gone down to have a look round the gym and said ‘What are you struggling with?’