Dozens of fighters from all over the North West of England came together for a charity boxing event in Barrow.
Barrow Amateur Boxing Club (ABC) held its 20th annual charity event on Saturday May 18.
A crowd gathered at the gym on Brook Street to watch 15 bouts between 30 fighters, both local lads and boxers from neighbouring counties.
Fighters were paired up based on their age, skills and experience. There were bouts between ten year olds, who had never been in a ring before, as well as between elite Senior Open class boxers.
This year Jeff Moses, Head Coach at Barrow ABC, decided to raise money for one young member of his Boxability group. The classes are designed to make sport accessible to children and young adults with learning and physical disabilities.
Six-year-old Oliver Goodings has a condition known as VACTERL, which is an acronym made up of the first letters of his main symptoms.
He was born with vertebral defects, anorectal anomalies, cardiac defects, tracheo-oesphageal fistula, oesophageal atresia, renal abnormalities and limb abnormalities.
The condition means he only has one kidney, which works at about four per cent, so he is on dialysis four times a week to filter his blood.
Ollie has Spina Bifida and an abnormal heart system, he uses peg feeding to stay nourished and a stoma bag to collect his waste.
He also has shortened limbs and Talipes in both feet, which means they turn in and under.
All of the money raised at the boxing event will go towards Ollie's Adventures, a fundraiser dedicated to taking Ollie, his family and his carers away on holiday.
They successfully raised a grand total of £7,250.
Jeff said the event takes months and months of planning and organisation, and with the help of 15 different sponsors, every penny made is able to go to Ollie's Adventures.
He said: “Everyone performed at a fantastic level. It’s great how the community comes together.
“It gave local lads a chance to showcase their talent, they usually only get to fight matches out of town, this time they were able to fight at home with the support of the crowd.
“They really showed off their skills with their family and friends watching.”
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