Rotherham: Waiting for its own boxing champion

It's the awkward question about Rotherham boxing - why hasn't the town had more champions?

For a gritty, industrial northern town, you'd have expected have expected more men, and now women, to have been knocking on the door for titles.

Exactly why that is the case, is hard to define.

In the modern combat scene, the two Rotherham prospects who appear most likely to succeed are fast-evolving super welterweight Junaid Bostan and teak-tough super middleweight Taz Nadeem.

Conner Kelsall, is already there. He is the European flyweight champion; and was born in Rotherham Hospital, but in truth seems to identify more with Conisbrough and Denaby.

There are others, like Kash Ali, a one-time IBF European Heavyweight champion of Birmingham descendancy, and on the female side, Ellie Hellewell who has competed for the British and Commonwealth super bantamweight titles.

Historically, there were the solid performers like Atif Shafiq, Lee Appleyard, and Chad Gaynor.

And before then came Johnny Regan, William Hague, Joe Angel, and Les Saunders, and Tom Gummer to name but - and here is the point - only a few.

With no disrespect intended, elite honours seldom make their way to the boxing borough of Rotherham.

The biggest success ever achieved by a now-Rotherham based boxer came via Junior Witter.

He lives in Parkgate and has a gym in Eastwood, having won the WBC world light-welterweight title during his time with Sheffield's Ingle gym.

'Witter the Hitter' was an accurate puncher, but he couldn't put his finger on why honours have been few and far between in his adopted town.

"There is no real reason that I can think of" he confessed.

"Dave Coldwell has a gym in Rotherham and has trained some good fighters, but he was in Sheffield when he boxed. There's Kash Ali, Junaid Bostan, Lee Appleyard, Atif Shafiq.

"There have been a few, but they didn't live up to their potential. Really, Rotherham hasn't had a lot of success - I hope things change."

Witter believes fighters like Matchroom's Bostan carry a responsibility to win titles for the area.

"That might be a weight on Junaid's shoulders, but in this sport you have to have broad shoulders," Witter said.

"If there was to be an elite boxer in Rotherham in future, it would really pick the town up and give it a good lift.

"People would then recognise Rotherham for what it is - not a suburb of Sheffield, which it definitely isn't!"

Promoter and manager Ryan Rhodes, who now lives in Rotherham said: "Rotherham is not a big place, really, but it is hard to say why they haven't produced champions like some other towns.

"You have got Dave Coldwell, who has got quite a few professionals, who have come from out-of-town to train with Dave.

"You have got Jamie Kennedy at Millennium, Atif Shafiq, and a few amateur clubs. But it is really hard to say.

"At one point, Sheffield was turning out champions left right and centre, now they have Dalton Smith and a few others, but maybe it isn't turning out the champions that is used to.

"Conner Kelsall is a European champion though and I suppose towns and cities have runs in producing champions.

"I remember Chad Gaynor was built up as a really talented future champion and it didn't work out for him.

"Junaid Bostan fell short when he stepped up recently, but I believe he can come back and become a champion."

Few people can call on memories from the Rotherham boxing scene stretching back more than 70 years - but Maltby's Ray Matthews is an exception.

Now an 85-year-old grandad, who boxed 150 amateur contests and trained with British heavyweight champion Bruce Woodcock, admits there was not enough quality around over the years.

Ray, who trained at the Steel, Peech and Tozer gym, recalls tough fighters called Colin Harrison and Eddie Barraclough, but said generally speaking the town has "not been in the loop."

These days, he says, boxing has "lost some of its values."

So it all sounds pretty bleak.

But Jamie Kennedy, who founded Millennium Boxing Club in Masbrough Street in 2000, sees light at the end of the tunnel.

"When I first set up I was the only club around, at that time, really, so everyone did come to me.

"During that time Chad Gaynor, Ashley Shaw, Mason Riley, Dave Wong, all national (amateur) champions, Shaw boxed for England, Chad was successful.

"When we turned pro, I had eight pro fighters in that gym at that time, but ticket sales in Rotherham were terrible.

"It was not a boxing town, we were football or rugby, and we found it an extremely difficult time to try and sell tickets, so I think that is one of the big issues behind it.

"Now in Rotherham, we have got Saif's, Unity, Junior and myself starting to generate a really good Rotherham boxing community, which means young prospects coming through will have a better chance of selling tickets.

"Saif, Atif and Junior - regardless of their experiences as boxers - are coming through as coaches.

"Some quality lads are coming through winning titles and when they turn over there will be a far bigger community to sell tickets to and that is where it will change.

"I think we will have champions out of Rotherham.

"The coaching teams around the town are fantastic - we are putting Rotherham on the map. It is a case of watch this space - I think Rotherham is becoming a boxing town, we are getting there."