A former British Super Bantamweight boxer has launched a scheme to help Liverpool families suffering from drug abuse.
The programme, which is called Jazza in the CommUNITY, will kick-off on April 24 and run for eight weeks. It will be headed by boxer Jazza Dickens and his dad, Colin, who is an-ex heroin addict.
Colin’s drug abuse caused Jazza to move away from home at a young age. But Jazza's dad is now a "different man" after going sober 12 years ago and the two have since become close again.
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Both of them want to rebuild other families who have been torn apart by drugs. Jazza told the ECHO: “When I was younger I was too proud and too embarrassed to go and ask for help. My parents showed me a lot of love. My dad was my PE teacher and football manager and told me not to go down that path [of drugs].
“I use boxing as a vehicle, a platform to help other people. It’s an activity to help people bond together and get families laughing with each other. The inspiration behind the scheme was from a friend called Charlotte. She told me you don’t need a world title to help people, you can help people with nothing. That’s when it hit me”
Jazza in the CommUNITY will be based at Derry Mathews Boxing Academy in Liverpool city centre. The programme will help parents and children bond over activities such as boxing and meditation.
The scheme will begin two days after the 31-year-old's next fight at the M&S Bank Arena. Jazza is gearing up to face former European champion Andoni Gago on April 22. The fight will be filmed live on Eurosport 1 in the UK.
