Things are starting to look up for the Ringside Charitable Trust (RCT), a UK charity founded by Dave Harris that aims to support former boxers in need. Anthony Joshua, former world heavyweight champion and one of the most recognisable faces in the sport, will soon be involved, while British boxing queen Joe Calzaghe has joined the ambassadors team.
It’s been an incredibly long road to get to this point.
Six years ago, representatives from almost every major British promoter gathered at the former London offices of Boxing News, along with other high-profile figures such as Robert Smith of the British Boxing Board of Control, Barry McGuigan and John Conteh, to hear Harris outline his vision for what was then called Ringside Rest and Care.
“After that meeting, I knew I had a long way to go,” Harris told BoxingScene today.
Though he didn’t expect a standing ovation when he told the audience that the boxing fraternity needed to do more for former boxers who were in financial trouble, Harris still thought that what he had to say would generate a lot of interest. He believed that at least there would be a sense of unity, a desire – – roll up their sleeves and get going. Instead, there were murmurs of discontent from most, and doubts about whether the care home – which was and remains Harris’ vision – could be sustainable. They refrained from saying “it will never work,” but the mood was oppressive.
Harris could have given up at this point. But he was determined to try harder.
Hundreds of thousands have since been raised for RCT through donations from the public and extensive fundraising events. It is vital to note that there has been no real support from any of the main promoters, and there is no regular structural income to guarantee the future of the house.
But what surprised Harris, his team and the charity’s supporters the most was the lack of interest from the boxers themselves. After all, the charity – which became registered a year after that first meeting – was created to support those boxers if they ever needed it. And many will.
“You hear a lot of boxers say they got through it unscathed,” Harris notes. “But it can get worse years and decades after their last fight. Not every boxer gets affected, but it’s more common than most people want to admit.
“I can’t go into detail or name names, at least not officially, but the list of big-name boxers who fight grows every year. Their decline can also be quite sudden. I talk to a lot of former boxers every week and there are a few that come to mind who aren’t in the same psychological shape they were at this time last year.
“Most are too proud to ask for support, some won’t admit that something is wrong, but all have given a lot of themselves to boxing.
“This is something that we as an industry need to address. Sometimes I wonder if promoters think I’m a nuisance or if they think what I’m doing is somehow bad for the sport. Let’s all grow up and address the problem instead of pretending it doesn’t exist.”
“I have nothing but admiration for promoters who donate to charity. We hear about it all. Can I ask why Ringside has never received a charitable donation from them? Only Ben Shalom from Boxxer has done that.
“I’ll tell you, a lot of people know about our charity, people who don’t work in boxing, and they wonder why more influential people in boxing aren’t doing more. There’s even been talk of making a documentary about it, exposing the lack of aftercare. I don’t want to have anything to do with it, I love the sport, but we all need to do more before the world realises how little we’re doing at the moment.”
Joshua’s acquisition could change things dramatically. After speaking to one of his venerable amateur trainers (and RCT confidante) Johnny Oliver about the plight of former boxers, Joshua spoke about the need for a residential home during an interview with a popular radio show Joshua, who invests huge sums of money in amateur code, wants to leave a significant mark.
“You have to admire him,” Harris says of Joshua. “We’ve always needed someone of Joshua’s caliber to support us. We’re very grateful for all the support we’ve gotten, but Joshua is the first vigorous fighter with his crossover fame to do it. I can’t wait to talk to him about the future of Ringside.”
Joshua’s manager, Freddie Cunningham, confirmed that the fighter would be content to support RCT and the meeting will take place after his fight with Daniel Dubois on September 21. Hopefully, others will follow suit.
Meanwhile, Calzaghe joins Conteha, Duke McKenzie, Frank Bruno, Johnny Nelson, John H. Stracey, James Cook, Hannah Rankin, Charlie Edwards and Michael Watson as an ambassador for the charity.
The Welshman will be inducted into the British Boxing Hall of Fame the weekend before Joshua’s IBF heavyweight title fight. It’s been 10 years since the first ceremony, and Harris was the man behind it. Following former boxers into the Hall of Fame inspired Harris to start RCT.
“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since the first one,” Harris laughed. “Everyone said it would never work this well.”
If you would like to support Ringside Charitable Trust, you can do so HERE.
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