US-NI boxing project widening horizons of young fighters

It is Wednesday night at Diamonds in the Ruff boxing gym in the Washington DC suburb of Forestville and a group of young fighters – from pre-teens to early 20s – are being put through their paces by coaches Umar, Tony and Tairhan.

At the end of 2024 some of them had the chance to visit County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland where they trained, sparred and socialised with youngsters from Ardoyne Holy Cross Boxing Club in north Belfast.

“Some of our kids, they never get out of their own neighbourhoods, but with this programme they get a passport, they get an international trip and they get to see that kids in Ireland are in similar situations to them,” coach Umar says.

The opportunity has been given to them by the Belfast-Beltway Boxing Project – a transatlantic partnership designed to broaden the horizons of young people and improve their mental and physical health.

Sitting on the edge of the club’s boxing ring, Taaj says he found out he had a lot in common with the Belfast boxers.

“We ended up with people from Ireland all night, listening to what they had to say and one thing I really noticed is they’re normal kids just like we are,” he says.

“All the stuff we’re into they’re into too. They’ve got their rappers and all of that and we have the same thing over here.”

Philip, also known as PJ, takes a break from landing shots on a punch bag to share his experiences.

“It was my first time in Europe, I met new people, I was introduced to a new culture,” he says.

“I think if more people around the world were allowed to learn about different cultures the world would be a better place.”

All of the young people at the club mention the benefits of sparring with the Belfast boxers, who they say have different fighting styles that are not as common in the United States.

They also all mention Irish cuisine.

“It’s a good place, there’s good people there, the food is good as well,” Maurice says.

“They’ve got some pretty good potatoes down there.”

The “Beltway” part of the Beltway-Boxing Project refers to the Capital Beltway – a 64-mile highway around Washington DC and a term often used as shorthand for the US capital and its suburbs.

The project began in 2007, set up by Emmanuel Quinn from Belfast, whose father Charles had helped to found Ardoyne Holy Cross Boxing Club four years earlier.

Emmanuel, who has lived in the DC area since 2001, brought together a group of friends to raise money to support boxing clubs in disadvantaged areas in the US and Northern Ireland.

Every year since 2008 the project has organised the Belfast-Beltway Boxing Classic, which acts as a major fundraiser.

Like the young people at the boxing club, Emmanuel says the cultural exchange is a key point of the project.

“One of the things I took away most was the kids journaling about their lives and how similar they were, no matter what part of the world they were from,” he says.

“I hope the charity can help widen their horizons a little bit, see a little bit more.”

Mental health awareness is also a key focus for the project, with Charles Quinn moved to set up the Ardoyne club due to suicide rates among young men in Belfast.

In addition, Emmanuel says there is a strong cross-community ethos, with the Belfast boxers coming from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds.

“It is important to me,” he says.

“I do believe that physical health promotes mental health and I think boxing is a really good physical discipline to do.”

The Beltway boxers all also talk positively about the benefits of boxing more broadly.

“It is a really good outlet and a really good way to express yourself,” Taaj says.

“It helps build discipline, that was something I really learned through the gym – discipline and staying focused on what you need to stay focused on.”

Coach Umar says the benefits are not just for the young boxers.

“For us as men, it’s therapy for us,” he says.

“Sometimes there’s a gap between the young folks and the old folks. Here we get to see their point of view and they get to see ours and we meet in the middle somewhere.”

Back at Diamonds in the Ruff, the young boxers share one other main takeaway from the Irish trip.

“Awesome country, I would recommend to go there,” says 10-year-old Liam, the youngest person on the visit.

“But I wouldn’t recommend to go at the time we went – it was constantly raining.”

The weather didn’t put him off though, something Bryce agrees with.

“It was cold, raining,” he says.

“But the people were good to us, it was a good experience.”