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Marquess v. Ex Champ: “Social Hazard” Opens New London Boxing Gym.

London 4 March 2004

The 7th Marquess of Bute, Sir John Crichton-Stuart, (aka Johnny Bute) will open the new City Boxer club, The Ring, on the 18th March 2004. He will fight former regional Amateur Boxing Association champion James Facey in an exhibition bout that promises to be a suitably “hard” opening to the first dedicated white collar boxing gym in London. Sited in Southwark a few steps from the site of London’s first boxing venue and named The Ring, in homage to that original 12 sided arena, Mark “The Burf” Burford, a boxing trainer of 14 years experience, has built a new space in response to the rise in popularity of boxing training that is sweeping certain sections of the city and media.

In addition to fulfilling the competitive urge, the disciplined, edgy, adrenaline-fuelled boxing training brings other benefits: increased mental and physical agility, greater self-confidence and the knowledge that they really are as fit as they can be while keeping the day job. His clients are dynamic, competitive men and women who want to be pushed hard; some even fight in the occasional white collar boxing bouts that happen in the capital.

Working from rented spaces or gym chains such as Cannons, Mark Burford BBBofC, IWCBA, BWCBF, BWLA has been training clients for 14 years. He has opened The Ring Boxing Club in response to a demand he feels the fitness industry can't cater for or chooses to ignore. As he puts it, “The client wants something different from us, a sauna and Jacuzzi isn't closing the deal anymore”. The Ring is not an impersonal health café cum fitness factory, but more of a club full of peers and trainers that know who you are and want the same thing that you do. The Burf respects the history while adopting modern training techniques, “I have a foot in both camps: I bring old school grit to modern training protocols. I always tell ’em, boxing is athletics for the city, ‘cos we ain’t got much space”.

Training at The Ring takes many forms: one-on-one personal training; squad sessions with up to four clients; and custom individual programs under the supervisory eye of a trainer. There is absolutely no compulsion to box though clients can expect a mental as well as a physical workout that can get as competitive as they choose. The club offers a level of fitness achievable in no other amateur sport while supplying excitement and elation in equal measure. The Ring is a brand new space with all the Health & Safety, air conditioning, music, showers and changing rooms of a modern gym but without the chrome and glitter. The staff are all boxing trainers of an “Elite” standard and have the well-being of the clients as their sole focus.

Muhammad Ali said that champions “have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill”. For many in our ultra-competitive financial industries winning is all, and The Burf and his team can teach the skill – if the clients can supply the will. We know that Johnny Bute – joint Le Mans winner and British Formula 3 champion Johnny Dumfries in a past life – has the will, but has he the skill to take on personal trainer and ex ABA champion James Facey? Join us on March 18th and find out!

For pictures of the combatants or an invitation, telephone Sloan Hickman on 07973 727757 or e-mail sloan@cityboxer.com. For more information on London’s first dedicated white collar boxing gym see the website at www.cityboxer.com. To go and see The Ring and meet Mark Burford, telephone him direct on 07973 458289.