Legendary Angel boxing club could lose venue
Chris Kempson
Islington Boxing Club's Callum Angel-Taylor (left) and Caroline Dubois won gold medals at the Monkstown Box Cup in Dublin - Credit: Archant
The Angel Amateur Boxing Club could be left homeless with their current landlords intending to take back their premises in December 2022.
The St John’s Street venue has been a major part of the boxing scene in Islington for more than 40 years.
But landlords Capital City College Group, of which City and Islington College is part, have told the Gazette they are not intending to renew the lease when it expires.
A spokesman added: “The building forms part of the Angel site, which is currently operating at full capacity, and we need the space to enable more people to study with us.
“While we have sympathy with their predicament, we are under no obligation to relocate the club, we have previously offered to help them move to another site and this offer still stands.
“But [as] of today [November 5] we have had no contact from the club.”
The boxing club forms part of the Islington and Finsbury Youth Club, which was founded by the late John Jacobs and Tom Bracken in 1980. The club has enjoyed a fine pedigree over the years producing both national junior and senior amateur boxing champions.
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The Angel was hit badly by the Covid-19 pandemic and rocked by the death earlier this year of club stalwart Steve Miller.
Champions to have been produced through the club include cousins Patrick (Blue Boy) and Patrick (PJ) Gallagher, Francie Pius Doherty, and John Ryder.
Ryder said: “I have some very good memories of the Angel ABC and it is important that the club stays basically where it is currently located.
“Youngsters need a local club like the Angel and it reduces the need for them to travel further afield across the borough and therefore lessens the chances of them having any security issues when travelling out of their own locality.
“It would be nice to get the Angel ABC back to its original business of producing amateur boxing champions; let’s hope that we can all work locally to achieve this.”
