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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Damon Wilkinson

How boxing hero Phil Martin restored pride to the streets of riot-torn Moss Side

Moss Side Co op

As Moss Side burned during the riots of 1981 Phil Martin was already thinking about how he could restore some pride in the shattered community.

Amid the broken glass and rubble he built a boxing gym - Champs Camp - above a burnt out Co-op, painted a 20ft mural of Mohammed Ali on the side and waited for the fighters to come.

And come they did.

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