{"id":690926,"date":"2026-05-24T05:59:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T05:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/690926\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T05:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T05:59:20","slug":"the-antidote-that-packs-a-punch-belfast-backs-200k-boxing-boost-to-knock-out-antisocial-behaviour-the-irish-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/690926\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018antidote\u2019 that packs a punch: Belfast backs \u00a3200k boxing boost to knock out antisocial behaviour \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amateur boxing in Belfast<\/a> has been described as an \u2018antidote\u2019 to anti\u2011social behaviour, after \u00a3200,000 was secured to extend the city\u2019s Boxing<\/a> Strategy. <\/p>\n

The move, agreed last month by Belfast City Council<\/a>, has been hailed as having a major ripple effect for communities across here.<\/p>\n

In west Belfast<\/a>, St Paul\u2019s Boxing Club says the sport plays a key role in crime prevention. <\/p>\n

The sport has been helping to tackle childhood obesity and reduce youth isolation, while also putting the north on the map through its sporting success. <\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/a>\"UDA<\/a><\/p>\n

Founded in 2009, the club now has 70 young members.<\/p>\n

\"TrainingRalph McKay Coach of St Paul’s Boxing Club in west Belfast. PICTURE: MAL MCCANN <\/p>\n

Speaking to The Irish News<\/a>, long\u2011serving coach Ralph McKay, who has been involved in boxing for 25 years, said the sport remains one of the most effective antidotes to antisocial behaviour. <\/p>\n

He said the discipline, routine and sense of purpose the club provides can steer young people away from trouble and give them a positive focus.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ripple effect of this investment is massive. It keeps young people off the streets,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf these clubs weren\u2019t open there would be 70 kids out in the streets, standing in the street corners, annoying people, maybe getting into mischief.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they come here and they train very hard and they go home tired. They don\u2019t want to go out in the streets. We are building them to athletes; they are physically and mentally fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TrainingTraining at St Pauls boxing gym in west Belfast. PICTURE: MAL MCCANN <\/p>\n

To help with this, St Paul\u2019s also runs drug and alcohol awareness courses for its members.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe teach them how to deal with the dangers of life. Especially nowadays, all you see and hear is how so many people experience issues with drugs<\/a>, alcohol<\/a> and mental health<\/a>,” he added. <\/p>\n

\u201cBoxing is the antidote to that; it helps to foster a good healthy lifestyle, so they won\u2019t go down the wrong path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ralph said he fully endorses the \u00a3200,000 investment secured to extend the Belfast Boxing Strategy, adding it\u2019s a vital lifeline for clubs. <\/p>\n

However, the reality for volunteers on the ground is a constant financial struggle. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo give you an example of the hidden costs we face, a few weeks ago, I took our boxers to Dublin<\/a> for high-level sparring. On the way back, my car broke down. Between the fuel, the 2-hour wait for a recovery truck, feeding the hungry kids while we waited, a taxi back to Belfast because the tow truck only held two people, and the repair costs, that one trip cost the club \u00a3800. That is money a small club simply doesn\u2019t have to spare,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot one of us gets paid, and there are thousands of hours a year we spend volunteering. It\u2019s about helping these kids, and it\u2019s brilliant.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne minute you\u2019re looking at a child, maybe they came to the club at a young age, and they\u2019re at your waist, and then, suddenly, they\u2019re the same height as you. You live with them every day, watching them grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

St Paul\u2019s has produced standout talents including double Olympian Brendan Irvine and Commonwealth gold medallist Dylan Eagleson<\/a>, and that success is carrying through to the next generation, most recently with Dylan Donnelly, crowned under\u201118 champion.<\/p>\n

\"TrainingMartin Floyd 13 at St Pauls boxing gym in west Belfast. PICTURE: MAL MCCANN <\/p>\n

Newer members are already dreaming big. 13\u2011year\u2011old Martin Floyd, who joined the club in recent months, told The Irish News he wants to become \u201cthe best boxer in Belfast\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI love boxing because of the community, meeting new friends, talking with your mates and the coaches. I look up to the older ones in the gym. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to take boxing to the next level and go professional. The aim is to win a load of titles and retire with a load of money. To be the best boxer in Belfast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TrainingLorcan Rafferty 6 at St Pauls boxing gym in west Belfast. PICTURE: MAL MCCANN <\/p>\n

One of the club\u2019s youngest members shares that ambition. Six\u2011year\u2011old Lorcan Rafferty said he hopes to reach the Olympics one day: \u201cI go to the club every week because I\u2019m good at fighting. I love to spar. I want to do boxing at the Olympics one day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amateur boxing in Belfast has been described as an \u2018antidote\u2019 to anti\u2011social behaviour, after \u00a3200,000 was secured to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":690927,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,141440,802,85,42524],"class_list":["post-690926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-belfast-city-council","tag-boxing","tag-sports","tag-west-belfast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/690927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}