Empire Fighting Chance co-founders receive honorary doctorates
The co-founders of the Bristol boxing charity Empire Fighting Chance were awarded honorary doctorates in recognition of their work with young people.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The co-founders of a Bristol boxing charity that uses non-contact boxing as therapy for young people have been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of the West of England (UWE).
Jamie Sanagar and Martin Bist, who set up Empire Fighting Chance in Easton in 2006, were recognised at a ceremony yesterday for their work improving the lives of young people in the city. The charity runs a non-contact boxing programme designed to help young people who have had a challenging start in life.
Martin Bist described the award as 'a little bit surreal' and said it felt special to have his family there. He reflected on the charity's 20-year journey, saying the early days were chaotic because they 'didn't have a clue' about grants or funding. 'We were just two boxing men I suppose that wanted to help a couple of young people that we saw outside the gym,' he said.
Since then, Empire Fighting Chance has grown significantly. Bist said the charity now works with 68 boxing clubs across the UK and around 80 other partners that have been trained and supported in their programmes for free. Over the last three or four years, he estimated they have reached between 45,000 and 50,000 young people.
Explaining why boxing works as a form of therapy, Bist pointed to the credibility of boxing gyms as safe havens and the one-on-one nature of the sport. He said boxing helps young people develop mastery, which builds confidence and resilience. 'If you can skip twice then four times then six times then eight times, actually starting to develop that mastery which starts to build your confidence, your resilience and makes you maybe able to deal with some of the life setbacks that you couldn't do before,' he said.
Bist was quick to credit others for the charity's success, including the city's mayors, local councillors, community workers, staff, volunteers, and the young people themselves. 'None of it could have happened individually,' he said.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| Co-founders of Empire Fighting Chance received honorary doctorates from the University of the West of England. | |
| Empire Fighting Chance has been running for 20 years, starting in 2006. | |
| Empire Fighting Chance works with 68 boxing clubs across the UK and about 80 other partners. | |
| The charity has reached between 45,000 and 50,000 young people over the last three to four years. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report focused on the personal story of the co-founders, particularly Martin Bist's reaction to the honorary doctorate. It included a lengthy interview where Bist reflected on the charity's humble beginnings, its growth, and the reasons boxing works as therapy. The tone was warm and appreciative, highlighting the human impact and the co-founders' humility.
- “It's a little bit surreal if I'm honest. It wasn't something that we were expecting and yesterday was a really nice day.”
- “We were just two boxing men I suppose that wanted to help a couple of young people that we saw outside the gym.”
- “None of it could have happened individually and I suppose we're so grateful for all that support.”
Broadcast Timeline
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