Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn with IBF welterweight titleholder Kell Brook. Photo: Scott Heavey

The Golden Gloves amateur boxing club in Liverpool, England, is the first facility to benefit from the launch of the Matchroom Boxing Foundation.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has launched the foundation to support grassroots boxing clubs and gyms across Britain, and the foundation has already saved a long-serving institution from extinction.

The Golden Gloves ABC has been forced out of the base it called home for 12 years due to rising rent, but the foundation offered emergency funds which enabled its young amateurs to box on and Hearn will meet with club representatives to discuss investing in new premises.

Founded in 1947, the club houses 30 male and female amateur fighters, and boasts products from 1972 Olympic bronze medalist George Turpin to current amateur stand-out Anthony Fowler, as well as opening its doors to recreational users.

“Without this injection of money, the Golden Gloves ABC would be doomed,” said club coach Kevin Barrett. “We are thrilled to be the first boxing club to receive support from the Matchroom Boxing Foundation and after a dark few days the future looks bright for all the kids. Coaches here, like Wayne Smith, work so hard to keep things going and provide a vital service to the community.

“We have been investing in the elite end of the sport for many years and now it’s time to give something back,” said Eddie Hearn. “Through the Matchroom Boxing Foundation, we plan to provide funding and resources that will enable clubs that are vital to the progression of youth in the community, to continue to strive and play the integral role they do.

“Everyone in boxing knows how important these clubs are to the local community and just how they can change people’s lives – we must ensure others know the same.”

The Matchroom Boxing Foundation officially launches next week where details and forms for clubs to apply for support will be made available.

Information provided courtesy of a press release by Matchroom Boxing

Tom Gray is a member of the British Boxing Writers’ Association and has contributed to various publications. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing