A boxing gym tucked away on an industrial estate that is less than three-years-old is celebrating after producing two Welsh Champions.
Fighting out of Fosters Boxing Gym on Caerphilly’s Western Industrial Estate, Adam Surridge, 15, and Ryan Howlin became Welsh Novice Champions on the same night in Swansea last month.
Surridge, from Caerphilly, became a boxer to snub school bullies and has won all four of his fights in the 62kg category after joining the gym in January.
He had never boxed before and is now hoping to keep winning and get into the Welsh amateur squad, with his sights set on becoming professional in future.
Surridge, whose favourite boxer is Muhammad Ali, said: “I started boxing after getting bullied in school, but I have always enjoyed watching it.
“I would have joined before but I couldn’t find a gym. It was a really good feeling to win the bout to become champion.”
Howlin, 14, from Castle View, has had three fights and three wins in the 54kg and has also only recently started boxing.
He said: “I saw a leaflet for the gym and I wasn’t that skinny at the time so I tried it out.
“I came here just for fitness but I started getting into the boxing and now want to go professional in the future.”
Fosters Gym was opened by Ben Foster and his wife Susan in 2013 and currently has eight carded fighters and up to 80 people who use the facilities.
Ben Foster is head coach and is joined in the corner by police officer Lloyd Williams.
Williams said: “With the boys being so successful it’s drawn more youngsters to the gym.
“We get a lot of effort from them. They are skilled boxers and it’s a nice trade where we show up and show them what we know and they replicate it.
“But not everyone’s going to be a great boxer, but we welcome everyone. We do it for the community, to give people confidence.”
Foster, who used to be a kickboxer, said the gym is a respectful place with a zero-tolerance attitude to bullying.
He said: “We’ve got a good ethos and these boys have really impressed us and their friends and peers with what they’ve achieved.
“We want to take them further to achieve even more, because boxing’s a great sport.”
Anyone can turn up for a session at Fosters Boxing Gym and more information can be found on their Facebook page.