AMATEUR boxing lost one of its most loyal and dedicated coaches – Fred Gummerson. Fred has coached countless boxers at every level over a lifetime in the sport, among them double Olympic champion Nicola Adams. In sport, the words ‘legend’ and ‘legacy’ can be overused, however in Fred’s case this is exactly what he was and what he leaves.
There are so many true unsung heroes at sport’s grass roots level. At Fred’s Hard & Fast/Grimethorpe and Cudworth Amateur Boxing Club, the door was open to anyone willing to train and all will have their own stories. As well as his boxing knowledge, it was also Fred’s approach, his honesty, his kindness and his wit that made him such a respected and loved character.
Fred never made a penny from the sport that he dedicated his life to with the endless support of his loving wife Barbara but, as he told me himself, the decades he had put into the sport had made his life rich in so many other ways. He taught strength of character, pride and at the club he gave me and countless others a sense of belonging. So much so that over 30 years since I first walked through that door, I am still part of that same club. It feels like the end of an era, but the boxing world is a better place because of a true legend and real life hero in Fred Gummerson.