Albir_Tom

Bit of an old article but as i have been searching high and low for a decent boxing gym to train in and get involved in it's quite upsetting when you can't follow and do something you love just because a government don't like it and that something benefits adults and children alike.

You can watch a bull get slaughtered Infront of your eyes but hitting a punch bag is seen as violent ? Completely backward.

Like the article says there is Matthew macklins gym in marbella now which is producing some great fighters and it's a great leap forward but marbella is a mere blip in a huge country.

I would love to fund a brand new gym here in the north costa blanca and pack it out with brand new equipment and get all the locals involved I'm sure there would be an awful lot of interest from all walks of life I mean iv never met anybody who isn't glued to a tv screen in a bar when the boxing is on and boxing is as big as ever at the moment.

Who would be the first port of call to see about licensing etc and what other hurdles would I have to come across along the way ?

Would it be a dead end or would it be worth having a go ?

Have a read of this article anyway please and tell me your thoughts on the whole situation.

Here it is...

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/the-balls-of-wrath/2015/jul/30/spain-not-interested-boxing-football-marco-mccullough-kiko-martinez

missile

Just the way it is?Not much interest in Spain for fox hunting or cricket either.

Albir_Tom

Well being a country of such great sporting capability it's a shame ain't it because there is probably the breeding ground for a load of world champions and they will never know it unless they change there attitude towards it.

cricketman

20-30 years ago Spain had some world champions at the lower weight categories

There are probably no boxers in Spain nowadays because life isn´t as tough as it used to be and Spanish children are very protected by their parents

Great boxers tend to have difficult childhoods

chopera

You could say that for any sport. But if the Spanish are not interested in boxing then they're not going to be bothered about not having any champions. Similarly the UK is crap at basketball but nobody cares because nobody is interested.

steviedeluxe

Traditionally in the UK and US boxing was seen as a way out of the slums for young talented (but penniless) men. I think it never really took off this way in Spain because bullfighting and flamenco held more appeal. Also much of the media didn't really cover boxing, viewing it as a barbaric practice....

cricketman

Flamenco is a tiny minority art practised pretty much only by Andalucian gypsies. And there has never been any money in it. Only in the past 10 years or so and even then, not very much

And bullfighting is actually a pretty noble sport. Nobody comes out of a hard city neighbourhood and make it as a bullfighter

Boxing in the UK is only ever done by minorities e.g. those of Irish or Black decent, because those are the kids who have the most difficult upbringings and see no future for themselves

So in Spain you should target maybe the Romanian or Ecuadorian kids, but even then, I´m not sure there would be much aappetitefor it

jonboy

I think you missed out Women, Gays and the Religious, good try though

Dick Dasterdly

Absolute nonsense.

You obviously haven't even got the faintest clue.