Boxing coach 'brought communities together'

A boxing coach who helped shape the careers of champions and inspired generations of young people is being remembered for his dedication to the sport and his community, as his funeral is held.

Pat Benson, founder of the Small Heath Boxing Club and a former BBC West Midlands Unsung Sporting Hero winner, died aged 91 on 30 April.

His funeral will take place at St Edward's Church in Selly Oak, Birmingham, on Friday and among those paying tribute is his grandson, Paddy Benson.

He described him as a man whose influence stretched far beyond the boxing ring who "created hundreds of champions".

"People talk endlessly about the work for the community, which is right but he was a studious and a very astute coach with a very good understanding of the game," his grandson said.

Over a coaching career spanning decades, Benson trained thousands of young people and helped produce national champions, Olympians and professional boxers, including Frankie Gavin and Matthew Macklin.

Paddy Benson said his grandfather's success came from a combination of hard work, humility and an ability to bring people together.

"Back in the day he was a kerbstone layer and at the time there were no machines it was all hard manual labour," he added.

"He was a physically strong man, only small in nature but we say that his strength almost aligned his mental strength.

In 2010, Benson was recognised as a BBC West Midlands Unsung Sporting Hero after dedicating about 35 hours a week to running classes, organising events and supporting young boxers as a volunteer.

Paddy Benson said one of his grandfather's proudest achievements was creating an environment where people from different backgrounds could come together through sport.

The Small Heath gym full of "underdogs" became a focal point for communities across Birmingham, he said.

"As an Irish immigrant coming into the country in the 1940s, he had an understanding that it was a very tough time for any immigrant, you needed to be hard mentally and physically to survive the injustices," he said.

"It was a gym that was full of immigrant cultures, it was always a place where communities could bind together.

"It was almost a place of therapy, a place that they were welcomed and use boxing as a form of cement to bind each other together.

"He was so passionate about that right up until his last days, to create a place that could bind people together rather than create hate and division."

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