A SLICE OF BOXING
caring for one man. On September 3, for the first time in the centuries-old history of Westminster Hall, a boxing ring was installed in the home of the United Kingdom’s Parliament as part of a unifying mission. To understand the September 3 event, it’s necessary to revisit a tragedy. On June 14, 2017, a fire broke out shortly after midnight in the 24-story Grenfell Tower in West London. Grenfell Tower was “council housing” – state-subsidized housing designed to provide affordable homes for people with low incomes. The fire spread rapidly, in large part because the building had been constructed using a flammable exterior cladding. Cladding is designed to improve heating and energy efficiency. An alternative cladding with better fire resistance had been recommended, but the contractor chose not to install it due to cost. Tenants in Grenfell Tower had complained previously about electrical power surges that caused appliances to smoke. Such a surge might have been responsible for starting the fire. Residents had also repeatedly voiced concern – and a government inquiry later confirmed – that corridors were often partially blocked by discarded mattresses and other rubbish, and that firefighting equipment in the tower had not been properly inspected for years. More than 250 London Fire Brigade firefighters responded to the fire, many of them entering the building during the conflagration. The fire claimed 72 lives and wasn’t fully extinguished for 60 hours. It was the deadliest residential building fire in modern European history. Subsequent hearings led to a finding that council housing throughout England was being improperly built, improperly inspected and inadequately protected. It was also determined that, in this instance, fire officials had waited too long before advising Grenfell Tower residents to evacuate. Since then, billions of dollars have been spent to replace similar cladding in residential towers, and other safety reforms have been instituted.
After the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the London Fire Brigade wanted to create programs that would connect it with the community in a meaningful way. Charlie Beatt (a firefighter since 2002) suggested establishing a London Fire Brigade boxing program. “I wasn’t at Grenfell,” Beatt recalls. “But I knew a lot of firefighters who were. I approached [London Fire Brigade Commissioner] Andy Roe and said, ‘We need to set up a boxing club. It will help firefighters deal with post-traumatic stress and improve our relationship with the community.’” The London Fire Brigade Boxing Club is now licensed by England Boxing (the amateur boxing oversight organization in the U.K.). As part of its mission, the club partners with youth centers and existing boxing facilities to run a 10-week youth intervention and mentoring program that offers free boxing instruction to young men and women between the ages of 13 and 18. About 30 adolescents are involved in the program at any given time. Some are participating simply to build self- esteem. Others are athletically gifted and hope to take boxing to the next level. More than a few are there as a consequence of having been gang members or youth offenders who were nudged into the program. If participants choose to continue boxing after the 10-week program ends, they’re referred to a local boxing club where they can train alongside firefighters and represent the London Fire Brigade in various competitions. “I explain to them how being a boxer is a bit like being a firefighter,” Beatt told The Ring. “It takes courage, discipline and emotional control in a dangerous situation. You might be nervous before your first fight. But imagine running into a burning building.” Within that framework, Lord Andy Roe, age 52, spearheaded the September 3 boxing event in Westminster Hall. Roe was an officer in the British Army and served in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. After leaving the military
in 2002, he joined the London Fire Brigade. The Grenfell Tower fire was a transformative experience for him. He was an assistant LFB commissioner at the time. As the fire raged out of control and the situation went from bad to worse, the command was reshuffled and he was placed in direct command of the firefighting operation. “The institutions that the people relied on for protection failed them,” Roe says of that time. Roe became commissioner of the London Fire Brigade in 2020. Five years later, he was nominated for life peerage in the House of Lords. Hereditary peerage in the House of Lords has been abolished. The honor is now bestowed on individuals by the ruling monarch on the advice of the prime minister in gratitude for outstanding service. Life peerage entitles the recipient to sit and vote in the House of Lords with the rank of baron. Roe has been interested in boxing for a long time. He began boxing at age 15 and competed in 60 amateur bouts over the course of 14 years. He fought in clubs. He fought in the army. “I lost as many as I won,” he says. “But I loved the competition and the thrill of confronting my fears. I’ve been a boxer, a soldier and a firefighter. In some ways, they’re similar. You can have a coach. You can have a leader. But if you’re a boxer, if you’re a soldier, if you’re a firefighter, there comes a time when you’re on your own.” The event in Westminster Hall marked the start of a campaign to increase public awareness of the London Fire Brigade’s community boxing program – a campaign scheduled to culminate at Kensington Town Hall on November 13 with a “Night of Solidarity” designed to showcase youth boxing and raise funds for the program. The idea of bringing boxing to Westminster originated with Roe, who reached out to Ahmed El-Alaoui – a coach who has worked with amateurs in North Kensington for 26 years. El-Alaoui runs multiple community
youth programs. Roughly one-third of the adolescents he’s involved with participate in a boxing program. “Crime is an easy way out for a kid,” El-Alaoui says. “For us, it’s a cop-out. But they see it as easy money. One of the reasons I love boxing is that it takes troubled young men and women and makes them better people. A boxing gym teaches discipline. It gives them companionship. It’s about getting fit and healthy and changing your lifestyle.” Earlier this year, Roe asked El- Alaoui, “What would you think if we had an event in Westminster Hall?” “Could that really happen?” El- Alaoui responded. “If you don’t ask, you don’t get,” Roe said. The September 3 event followed, highlighted by some memorable moments. London Mayor Sadiq Khan addressed the gathering and voiced his support for the London Fire Brigade’s boxing program. Six firefighters and 14 young men paired off and sparred for two two-minute rounds. A bell from a 19th-century fire engine signaled the beginning and end of each round. “These young people never thought they’d be in Westminster Hall,” El- Alaoui said afterward. “To compete there was very special for them. It still baffles me that we got it done.” Meanwhile, Charlie Beatt had a unique take on it all. “Parliament has never seen anything like this,” Beatt proclaimed. “I know the mayor is here. And so is Andy Roe. But you got ex-convicts. You got guys who were street gang members. The House of Lords must be thinking, ‘Who let these guys in?’” Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – The Vulture Sport: A Journey Through Boxing – is available at Amazon.com and other platforms. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
BOXING DAY IN PARLIAMENT By Thomas Hauser
F ighting is an inherently aggressive and divisive act. But boxing can be a unifying force that brings communities and people of all races and religions and sometimes even entire countries together. When Joe Louis fought Max Schmeling in 1938, the American
people rallied behind him as one. Manny Pacquiao brought the Filipino people together. Barry McGuigan did the same for warring factions during the time of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. When Muhammad Ali – as divisive as he’d once been – lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta in 1996, the entire world was united in love and
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