To mark 20 years since his son Kiyan’s tragic murder, former boxer Mark Prince has launched The Champions’ Club, which aims to “inspire young people in the UK” and includes a blueprint on “how young people can feel like winners again”.
Hannad Hasan stabbed teenager Kiyan, who had been a promising youth player at QPR, to death when he intervened in a mock fight outside the London Academy in Edgware on May 18 2006.
Despite his son’s tragic passing, Mark is more determined than ever to help tackle the knife crime epidemic that continues to plague the UK.
“The fire is burning because you can see that from the very beginning, I’ve spoken about the vision. It was to have something for Kiyan. It was to deliver a blueprint for the government to see here’s the solution,” he told Sky Sports.
“You don’t have to keep policing the matter. It’s a prevention matter. Hurt people are hurting people. If we can get to the hurt people, then we can start reducing all the people that they’re hurting.
“As we reach out to families and children who’ve gone through trauma, who’ve had an upbringing that hasn’t helped and guided them in the right way, we’re able to fill that gap so they don’t end up going to prison, they don’t end up continuing doing bad things.
“We do some excellent assemblies with young people to share with them how they can change their mindset and how they can take control of their lives.”
Despite struggling at times with overwhelming grief, Prince is determined to ensure others don’t repeat the mistake of his son’s killer.
He even tells of how he tried to meet him in prison, saying: “I’m not hurting Hanad by not forgiving him, I’m hurting me. I’m keeping myself in the same space where I’m not able to reach others and help them because of bitterness and unforgiveness. I didn’t want to be jailed with bitterness and unforgiveness anymore.”
On the 20th anniversary of his son’s death, Prince has launched The Champions’ Club and has created a 20-point blueprint for improving the lives of young people in the UK – one point for each year since Kiyan’s passing.
Among the points are 10 asks of policymakers – including better pay and recognition for youth workers, more long-term focus and greater prominence for community voices.
The 57-year-old spells out what he’s hoping to accomplish, stating: “The Champions’ Club is an extension of what we’re already doing. We need the public to help us so that we can sponsor each kid and give them an opportunity to go through this development. Champions’ Club is really all about getting the resources to support these children.
“We want to expand now – 20 years we’ve been dedicated to changing lives and making a difference. We’ve got so many young people with great stories. How do we continue to expand that and upscale it if we don’t have the resources to do that.
“We want corporates to be able to work with us, partner with us so that they can give these kids the outcomes. We want the public to feel like they’re a part of this journey. People want to make a difference so we want to create an organisation where people are welcome to come onboard and partner with us to help make these young people’s dreams come alive.”
The campaign includes an ambition to raise £400,000 in donations so that the charity can fund a new youth space dedicated to Kiyan’s legacy.
The Foundation has also conducted research amongst 16 to 24-year-olds that highlights the challenges they’re facing, with 75 per cent admitting it’s hard being a young person in the UK today.
Dr Mark Prince continues to speak out on behalf of young people
Prince highlights what the government needs to change, claiming: “They’re trying to police their way out of it. Some of the policies are about directing them to how they can go about dealing with this in terms of prevention.
“They don’t prepare kids for the outside world. They prepare them just for exams and that’s not good enough. We’re finding kids are lost, they finish school, they don’t know what they’re doing because they don’t know who they are.
“They’ve got no self-identity. They’ve got no purpose. You can have exam results but if you’ve got no purpose, no self-identity and resilience, how you going to get through life and be joyful and happy with yourself.
“Those are some of the areas that we’re talking with the government about and talking to young people about to change their policies. You can read all about it on our website. If we focus more on young people’s futures then they’d get excited about their futures. But I don’t think we do.”
The sole loss of his boxing career came against Dariusz Michalczewski
Before undergoing his tireless campaigning work, Prince excelled in the boxing ring, registering 18 knockouts in his 23 wins, with his sole loss coming at the hands of WBO world champion Dariusz Michalczewski.
Despite having to retire at 30 due to injury, he’s nonetheless pleased with the career he had.
“I look back with great pleasure. You’ve got to understand I started late, 21 years old. I built up a career of 18 undefeated fights before I fought for a world title in his back yard. That was good, you need to pat yourself on the back,” he said.
“I didn’t even finish the fulfilment of my potential as a boxer because I had an injury at 30 and I felt like I was coming into my prime. Having that loss made me as a fighter. I thought having the zero was what was important, but it wasn’t. It was growth.
“It was being able to understand yourself as a fighter and know how you can become better as a fighter. That loss taught me a lot, especially when you’re in the ring with one of the best light-heavyweights in the world.”
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From dancing and posturing to ring gymnastics, take a look at the best of Ben Whittaker’s showboating
Britain’s latest light-heavyweight hope is the enigmatic Ben Whittaker, who’s impressed in the initial stages of his professional career.
Having knocked out his last two opponents in the first round, Whittaker is being urged to step up to world level.
Although impressed with the Olympic silver medallist, Prince has urged him to avoid the likes of Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, who have dominated the 175lb division in recent times.
“Don’t go near those guys! Those guys will end your career. That will be his undoing. All the flashy moves, these guys are elite fighters. You’re not going to get away with that with these guys,” he said.
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There were incredible scenes in Riyadh as Whittaker and Liam Cameron fell through the ropes in dramatic scenes and the fight was declared a technical draw
“I think he should continue his journey. Sometimes we rush fighters too quick, just take your time with it because he’s a great talent. He’s a good young fighter. He could be a champion if they develop him at the right time instead of throwing him in there.
“He hasn’t gone through the levels yet. I think that’s what’s missing in modern-day boxing because there’s so much more money involved. It’s more about the excitement of the fight than about the development of the fighter’s career.
“When I was boxing, that was paramount. Let’s develop this fighter so he becomes a champion, he stays a champion.”
You can read more about what the Kiyan Prince Foundation are doing at https://www.thekpf.com/
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
