Blakenhall boxing firm raid may be a knock out blow, says its devastated boss
The boss of a boxing and martial arts equipment firm who had £6,500 of gear stolen from his premises is worried that the devastating blow may knock out his business for good.
Havoc Fight Gear, in Upper Villiers Street, Blakenhall, was trashed during the raid, which happened between August 18 and 25.
The kit taken included 150 pairs of boxing gloves as well as T-shirts, head guards and mitts.
The business mainly trades online and the Blakenhall site is mainly used for storing and packaging the goods before they are delivered to customers.
Boss Mohammed Azam has been building up the Havoc brand for the past six years and was crushed to find his office ruined and equipment gone.
The 34-year-old said: "I went back to my office on the Thursday and the door had visibly been tampered with.
"I was hoping it was just a failed attempt to get in, but once I got in there, I saw the place had been completely ransacked.
"About 85 per cent of my stock had been taken, including stuff that had already been pre-ordered by customers.
"There was boxing gear, MMA stuff, t-shirts, all our different products.
"It seems like it's been targeted specifically. There would have had to have been a few members of a group to get it all shifted and loaded into a van."
"There was no CCTV at the site and there was a fire exit which anyone could gain access to the building from.
"My business is on it's knees now.
"I've lost all that stock and I haven't got the capital to replace it.
"My father is a cancer patient and my mother doesn't work because she's looking after him. I have a wife and two young kids who I'm trying to support.
"I find it sickening that people can do this, join together and plan to carry this out.
"They've taken away my livelihood. Hopefully they will be caught. It's taken me from 2006 to build up the brand to be a brand that's respected and used by lots of fighters."
West Midlands Police confirmed that investigations are still ongoing and no arrests had been made.
Detective Constable Gary Thompson said: "They were taken from a supplier called Havoc Fight Gear.
"More than £6,500 worth of items were stolen. The shop was closed for a few days.
"The Havoc gear is the owner's own brand, so I've told him to keep an eye online at sites like eBay and Gumtree to see if anyone is trying to sell it in bulk."
