Ultra Events: Boxing, MMA & Comedy

I was 44 at the time, so I thought, you know what, I'm nearly 50, I'll give it a go. I've done a bit of boxing before, when I was a kid and when I was in the RAF. And I'll do it for James’ Place. They helped me out loads.

I did the eight weeks of training and, I'm not going to lie, it was difficult because I didn't keep myself the fittest. I go out and have a drink with the lads every so often, so I knocked that on the head. I still went out, but I didn't do it as much so I could get fit. I signed up with my mate, which was a help because we didn't go in there blind, where we didn't know anyone.

The training was on Mondays and Wednesdays. It was good to get myself prepared on the Monday, get the training in, and then I'd have a couple of days to recover. I started skipping in the back garden and going on runs on the weekend. There's a girl called Rochelle who guided us through everything over text and email. It was lovely to meet her on the night.

Five weeks in, I busted my rib from doing a bit of sparring. I thought I was going to have to call it off. But then I thought, it's three two-minute rounds, I can do it.

They had the weigh-in on the Wednesday before, so we did all the stuff that you see on the telly that the professional boxers do. It was a great sort of spectacle. There was nearly 1,000 people in the Olympia in Liverpool and about 20 fights. All the lads had trained and sparred together. They all got on and there was no malice. Which is a surprise when you think, obviously, it's quite a tough sport! I got beat, but I knew the lad because we'd sparred a few times. We got a nice photo and nice memories. It was an enjoyable night and a great experience, other than the result. I'm just glad we raised that money for such a great organisation.

John – Fundraiser & Former James' Place Client

Ultra White Collar Boxing