Last weekend saw two of the best British boxers of a generation go head to head in Amir Khan and Kel Brook. Now Huddersfield’s very own Adam Morris is hoping to make it all the way to the top and follow in their footsteps.
Adam, 15, has been boxing since the age of five and wants to follow in the footsteps of his two heroes Tyson Fury and Kel Brook and make it to the professional ranks.
Adam fights out of the Rawthorpe Amateur Boxing Club in Milnsbridge, run by Mark Reynolds. He also helps Mark coach and keeps the gym tidy. Adam’s dad Paul is the chairman of the club and has known Mark since they were kids together.
On Adam’s fledgling career Paul said: “Adam is a smart kid and knows where he wants to go and that’s to the very top. I’m unbelievably proud of him and hopefully he can continue on the path he’s already starting to go down.
“He loves the sport and both Adam and my daughter have been into boxing since being young. Adam wants to make a go of it and get as far as he can. He watches fights and studies them. He’s a real student of the sport.”
Adam has reached the Amateur Junior Boxing national quarter-finals. His next fight is on Sunday where he’ll be looking to make it through. Both Amir Khan and Kel Brook have won the same national competition.
Paul added: “Adam has always loved Tyson Fury and Kel Brook and watches all their fights. Although he has big dreams it is my job as a father to not push too hard but to support Adam and keep his feet on the ground.
“He’s not an academic and so whilst I encourage him to do well in school, education isn’t for everyone. What Adam is brilliant at is communicating with the kids at the boxing club and being a real role model. Mark and I are really pleased with how he conducts himself around the place.”
Adam has always loved sport and was on the books at Manchester United’s youth academy aged 11. After being released the Huddersfield-born teenager decided to concentrate on his boxing career.
Paul said: “Adam is determined to make it to the top. We have created a room in the house where he can train and so he’s put full dedication into the sport.”
On the club more generally Paul and Mark are determined to make the RABC the best it can be and part of that is helping young people stay on the right path and grow into responsible citizens. Both Paul and Mark want to inspire kids to be better people.
Paul said: “Mark wants to create community champions and if we find a talented boxer on the way then great. Mark is more focused on the human side of things through the power of boxing and I back him in that 100%.
“I couldn’t respect Mark and the work he does anymore highly than I do. He’s a fantastic man and friend. We’ve known each other a long time and I think Mark was always born to do what he is doing. He was a fantastic roofer in the 1980s and 1990s before jacking it all in to launch the boxing club 20 years ago.
“We have nearly 70 kids coming to the club now from all across Huddersfield to take part in our sessions. We’ve reached a wide area and that just shows the power of what we have created.
READ MORE: Rawthorpe Boxing Amateur Club boss Mark Reynolds steers young people on the right path
“We aren’t in it for glory. If we see a child smiling, interacting and enjoying themselves by taking part in what we do, for me and Mark then that’s enough.
“The other thing to say is, we wouldn’t be able to achieve what we have without the help of the other dedicated coaches and parents and other volunteers. Everyone is as important as the next person and we are one big family of people.”
Finally, Paul looked forward to the future for both Adam and the club and he said: “Adam has a bright future in the sport, the coaches at Yorkshire boxing have told me how talented he is.
“If he wins the nationals then he goes to the England set up. If he doesn’t win them I know he’ll keep going as he’s a determined young man.
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“The hardest thing with Adam is that he’s 41kg and so he’s very light. There aren’t many boxers that he can fight at junior level because under 16 you have to fight someone the same age or just a year above. After 16 it doesn’t matter. He’s growing all the time and so hopefully in the future it should get easier to find opponents to fight.”
As for the club he added: “The club is in good shape, the new facility we moved into is superb and we are lucky to have that much space. We just want to continue to inspire as many young kids as possible and support the community as a whole that we live in.”
