A walk in the Park for Priory lads
For 30 years Priory Park in Dudley has been an area synonymous with the grass roots of boxing and today its legacy shows no signs of letting up.
Paul Gough now leads the Priory Road-based amateur club – founded by Terry Seymour in the late 1970s – after making the step up to professional trainer just two years ago after two decades of guiding unpaid hopefuls.
The amateur to pro trainer jump has previously sounded the death knell in the town for aspiring boxers, with the original Dudley ABC – led by Ronnie
Brown – one to fall the wayside when he successfully led most of his fighters into the punch-for-pay world.
At the time, that club noted Gough, Shaun Cooper, Razza Campbell and Lindon Scarlett among its members – all Dudley boxers who are respected coaches themselves today.
But Gough, from Wren's Nest, has set his sights on producing successful boxers at both levels from the same base.
As well as producing Richard Ghent and Neil Perkins for the professional world, the 44-year-old has also overseen the amateur careers of nine England internationals.
Today, Olympic hopeful Ryan Aston is the brightest of the bunch and the 18-year-old could take the club to his highest plateau yet.
The five-time national champion, who boasts five gold medals in British and European competitions, is one of the Black Country's biggest hopes for London 2012.
So, whether it's producing the next top pro or future goal medalists, Gough is confident Priory Park will be in with a shout of answering the call.
He said: "What we do is encourage our lads to come in, they can achieve things as an amateur and – if they want to further their careers – they can be looked after.
"I truly believe that if a boxer has been with someone since the start who they know and trust, it gives them that piece of mind, because it's a hard business.
"If you look back through history, the best fighters are the guys who stop with the trainers who really know them. I have always believed in that."
Gough took over in 1994 with the club base falling to pieces, but today there could be possible redevelopment if a proposed regeneration plan is put into place.
But it hasn't always been easy, as the trainer recalls.
He said: "When we took over the place, there was nothing here. The roof was leaking, the bags were all split, the ring was falling to bits and the floor was sodden.
"But bit by bit, with a little help from friends, grants and with a lot of our own money, we put the club back together and into what it is today.
"It's running very well now and there are a lot of people that I am grateful to for that."
