A Huddersfield boxing gym forced to move out of its current base has found a new home … and the building already has a powerful boxing heritage.
Gladiators Boxing Academy has been based at Turnbridge Mill on Quay Street just off St Andrew’s Road near Huddersfield town centre for 10 years but the building is being sold and redeveloped so the club has had to find somewhere else.
It’s now moving into Bridge Croft Mill in Milnsbridge which had been home to Rawthorpe Amateur Boxing Club since 2013.
Sadly the club, founded by Mark Reynolds in 1998, closed on February 12 after spiralling costs and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on family budgets meant it was running at a financial loss which couldn’t continue.
Gladiators Boxing Academy – which has just become a Community Interest Company to help with its fundraising – is moving into the landmark mill on Bridge Street opposite The Four Horseshoes pub and hopes to be fully operational by the end of March.
The club has taken over three floors at the mill with weights, cycling, fitness machines and the club’s café on the ground floor, training on the second and the four boxing rings and elite boxers on the top floor.
The move is a massive job as the boxing rings needed to be cut up to get them out of the old mill and into their new home and have had to be physically carried up and down stairs.
Gladiators Boxing Academy chairman and founder Den Doyle (pictured), of Linthwaite, said: “The great news is that we now have a 20-year lease on the building so the Gladiators’ future is assured.
“The three floors are completely empty which gives us a good start but we need to put mirrors on walls along with plysheet boarding and then there’s a lot of painting both on walls and woodwork to do too.
“If anyone can help us with materials and time that would be fantastic and we are now looking for a main sponsor for the club whose name would be on everything we do. We also have a GoFundMe page up and running.
“We’ve already managed to get the boxing rings up to the top floor but they need welding back together.
“The building is far larger than we had before so we want it for community use too and hope to set up fitness classes. You don’t have to be a boxer to be a part of a boxing club – boxercise doing the boxing moves and exercises is for everyone from the young to the old.”
Gladiators Boxing Academy has been the hub for the Yorkshire Boxing Squad for many years and one of the young teenage Gladiators is about to turn professional.
Chrissace Mendez (below) from Bradley has been boxing with the Gladiators for nine years and has won British titles along with several Yorkshire championships.
The 19-year-old said: “It’s a brilliantly friendly club and is like being part of the family here. Everyone is so supportive of everyone else.
“I’m turning pro this year and we are now looking at potential promoters. I started off very young doing karate and kick-boxing and it was my mum who suggested I try boxing and I loved it right from the start.
“It’s great sparring and it’s such a personal challenge to keep on improving.’’
Another Gladiators boxer, 21-year-old Florence Mangeni (below), became a professional last year – the first female in Kirklees to do so.
Since making her debut in 2020, Florence has been national champion three times and regularly spars with Sheffield-based world champion Nicola Hopewell.
To donate towards the move click here.
Anyone who can help with sponsorship, donations or practical help should email Den at denrightcross@gmail.com or call him on 07852 117520.
Keep up to date with the Gladiators on their Facebook page.
The Gladiators’ former home at Turnbridge Mill is being redeveloped for Fenay Bridge-based Paxman Coolers Ltd, a global pioneer in scalp cooling to help prevent hair loss during chemotherapy.
Family-run Paxman is having a new 27,000 sq ft centre built at Turnbridge Mill which will involve some demolition and will ultimately incorporate a health innovation research and digital manufacturing facility, bespoke cryotherapy research labs, engineering R&D space and offices.
Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content, copywriting and ghost-writing autobiographies. Photos of Den and Chrissace by Andy Hirst.
