FORMER world middleweight title challenger Denzel Bentley is urging those who carry a knife to put their weapon down and try working out with Steel Warriors, an anti-knife crime charity.
Steel Warriors uses the steel melted down from confiscated knives to create outdoor gyms like the one in Langdon Park, Poplar which Bentley recently visited. The 29-year-old returns to the boxing ring on Saturday night (May 11) against Danny Dignum at York Hall. In between his preparation, he spent time with Steel Warriorsโ Head of Marketing and Community, Christian dโIppolito, at the gym where he learned calisthenics and showed attendees how to shadowbox.
This week, Bentley spoke to Boxing News about his visit and why he is working with Steel Warriors.
โItโs a good cause. Itโs something Iโd like to get involved with. Growing up where I grew up, knife crime was a big problem [and] still is a big problem.
โI thought I could show my face and attach myself to that community or reach out to the wider public where people wouldnโt see it. Iโd never heard of it before and neither had a lot of people around me. Since that clip and a few of the videos came out a lot of people around me have seen it, which also brings attention and maybe they can spread the word about what Steel Warriors are doing, and this is what theyโre working on.โ
โNowadays, fitness is a big thing, but gyms arenโt free. Steel Warriors is,โ he continued.
โItโs a place to work out, keep busy and have fun or try new tricks with what theyโre doing with the bars and learning about your body. Thereโs no age limit, itโs a place for everyone. A lot of gyms are open 24 hours, and you have to be 18-plus to join. A lot of these kids aren’t, but they can go out to the park, one of these areas and start working out and looking after themselves.โ
Growing up in Batterseaโs Patmore Estate, Bentley knows the devastation that knife crime can bring to an area. The former British middleweight champion told BN that as a teenager, he knew that he could easily have become a victim as well.
โIโve lost a lot of friends to knife crime,โ he said.
โA lot of my friends have been stabbed and survived. A lot of my friends have been stabbed and havenโt survived. At one point in my life, when I was a teenager, I felt like I was going to be a victim. When I reached a certain age, I was like, okay, Iโm 16 now… Iโm 18 now, but I can still get stabbed. Iโve got to watch where I go and be mindful of who Iโm crossing paths with and who Iโm rubbing shoulders with. Some people are bad company, but you wouldnโt know.
โYou might be running around with a friend who had problems outside school you didnโt know [about it]. Youโve gone to meet him in his area. People he had problems with run up on you, and you get caught in a crossfire. Itโs as simple as that, and thatโs the case for a lot of people. Not everyone that gets stabbed is guilty of doing anything.
โWhat saved me was boxing. I found a boxing gym so I spent most of my time there. We didnโt have any of these outside gyms. Back then it was hard to find gyms [because] they were all under archways. Steel Warriors are out in the park. You could be walking through the park and see them and think, I could have a go on that. Before you know it, thereโs people teaching you to do things. No oneโs hogging it, everyoneโs friendly, and everyoneโs willing to bounce off each other. It builds a little community and then youโre up there for hours and hours. Itโs good for interaction.โ
In the year ending March 2023 there were 50,500 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales*. That was an increase of more than 2,000 offences on the previous year and an increase of more than 6,000 offences in the year ending March 2021.
Bentley has seen some of the parks he used to play at as a youth being torn down. A number of football cages are suffering the same fate, and Bentley says that kids need somewhere safe to go and something positive to do to burn off all their energy.
โThe aim is to get kids activities. Burn them out. They have their fun, have their time out and then go home and chill and get ready for dinner, bed, homework or whatever. When theyโre outside, you donโt want them getting up to no good.โ
Bentley also had a message for those who are carrying knives to protect themselves or with the intent to hurt someone.
โYou donโt need them. Just put the knives down because nine times out of 10 knives are there to hurt people.
โNo one wants to hurt someone or take a life. The consequences are crazy. Someone loses their life, then the person who did that goes to prison, and they lose their life. Theyโre sitting there for years and regretting it. Donโt live a life in regret. Put the knives down.
โItโs difficult to find the words. Iโm not oblivious to it all or ignorant. I get it but you need to make better lifestyle choices. If you feel like you need to carry a knife, try and get away from that environment. Ask yourself, why do I need this? Youโre obviously in an environment that isnโt safe. Try and find an establishment like a boxing gym, Steel Warriors or whatever it may be or move out of the area if youโre able to, and try and get out of the situation you are in. Try not to carry knives because it destroys lives. Itโs yours and the person that you hurt.โ
*Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk*