The magazine of the photo-essay
July/Aug 2021 back issue
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Where the Kray’s Learnt to Fight
Repton Boxing Club
Bethnal Green, East End, London
by Damian Bird
Repton Boys Boxing Club was founded in 1884 by Repton public school who wanted to provide a way of giving support
and encouragement to the young men of one of London’s poorest communities. Housed in a former Victorian bath
house on Cheshire Street in the heart of East London, Repton is London’s oldest boxing gym and has witnessed the rise
of champion boxers such as Maurice Hope, Billy Walker, and Audley Harrison, not to mention underworld figures such
as "Mad" Frankie Fraser.
At the age of 12, the actor Ray Winstone joined the club and, over the next 10 years, won 80 out of 88 bouts. He was
London schoolboy champion on three occasions, fighting twice for England. "If you can get in a ring with 2,000 people
watching and be smacked around by another guy, then walking onstage isn't hard. "Perhaps some of Repton’s most
infamous supporters were Ronnie and Reggie Kray. Repton was where the twins learned to fight. They won numerous
amateur boxing titles and at the age of 17, they turned professional. The twins continued to support the boxing club
as they became older through the donation of trophies and the purchasing of tickets to watch boxing matches.
Today
the club is as vibrant and dedicated as it ever was; the junior and senior boxing teams are amongst the best in the
country. It is now a registered charity and relies on donations to keep its doors open to the boys and men of Bethnal
Green.
Shadow boxing for speed and agility.
The Repton Boxing Club trainers work on every aspect of their fighters’ technique.
The Repton Boxing Club’s head coach, Gary McCarthy casting his focused stare over two of his fighters sparring in the
club’s main ring.
Mirror view.
The fighters are always watched by their trainers during sparring sessions, so that advice can be given wherenecessary.
