Boxing club members say they were “honoured” to gather for a talk from a fighter turned author about building confidence and overcoming anxiety.

The event was held last week at the Elite Community Hub CIC on Wordsworth Street in Halliwell and gave attendees the chance to hear from “mindset coach” and mixed martial arts pioneer Tom Blackledge.

He was there to speak about his newly published book Fearless by Design, which will be his first published work, and to share experiences from his career.

Elite gym founder Alex Matvienko said: "We were honoured to have Tom visit to share his experience and wisdom in a two-hour seminar that flew by.

“Feedback has been positive and helpful, and it was great to hear sections from Tom's new book."

The Bolton News: Elite Boxing members gathered at the Wordsworth Street hubElite Boxing members gathered at the Wordsworth Street hub (Image: Kenland Media Relations)

Mr Blackledge spoke to members of Elite Boxing, the Thai-boxing club and talented youngsters from the Halliwell ABC boxing team about topics, including mindset, coping mechanisms and breathwork. 

All of these are key topics in his book, which draws on Mr Blackledge’s experience as a former UFC fighter turned coach.

The event marks is one of several hosted by the Wordsworth Street boxing club, which has become a key resource for all kinds of people from across the community in Halliwell since it first opened in 2003.

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Many of these have been run with the same aims of promoting people’s physical and mental health as those discussed in Mr Blackledge’s book.

Other sessions run by Elite Boxing have included the fortnightly Ricky’s Club, which allows men to talk openly about their mental health, while the gym has also helped teenagers to keep active.

Free sessions are also held for over 50s and children while “ladies only” classes have helped undo some of the social isolation and poor fitness caused by lockdown.

Mr Matvienko has previously spoken about how he hopes to secure funding to be able to continue running events like these for many years into the future and how he is committed to continuing to providing classes for youngers and for over 50s.

Fearless by Design by Tom Blackledge will be available to buy online in December.