THEY say you are the average of the five people you hang around with the most. This means if you hang around with five thugs, chances are you’re going to be a thug, or if you are with five successful businessmen every day, chances are you too are going to be a successful businessman. This is why we often hear people saying ‘surround yourself with good people’.

This statement is the reason why Britain is probably the best boxing country in the world and this stems from our amateur boxing program.

When I was part of the GB team, the only people I trained with were other champions and this is what happens now. All of our amateur champions only train with other champs, with each other.

I was a seven-time national champion and European gold medallist. On the GB team with me were other fighters with these sort of credentials. We had James DeGale, Billy Joe Saunders, Tony Bellew, Stephen Smith, Kal Yafai, David Price, Amir Khan, Frankie Gavin, Stephen Simmons, Joe Murray, Bradley Saunders, Luke Campbell, George Groves, Anthony Ogogo, Danny Price, David Dolan, Neil Perkins, Jamie Cox, Don Broadhurst and more.

Tony Jeffries on James DeGale

Imagine putting all these boys together, training side by side, pushing each other, sparring with each other, living together, training with the country’s most successful trainers, on top of that, full support with physio, recovery, nutritionists, strength and performance coaches, even sports psychologists, what do you think is going to happen? Exactly what has happened.

And this is continuing right now as your reading this; Britain’s top boxers are living and training together. Just look at the last batch with Josh Kelly, Anthony Fowler, Joshua Buatsi, Joe Joyce, Joe Cordina etc all coming through the ranks because of this amazing program.

We have the strongest boxers in the world. Football may be Britain’s most popular sport, but there is no doubt at all that boxing is our most successful.

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