Trainer Jimmy Harrington’s goal is to ensure his former fighter is not forgotten

TOM Bell, a talented fighter with a bright future ahead of him, was murdered at the age of 21. The tragedy took place at a pub in Doncaster, England, where the professional boxer with a record of 6-0 sadly lost his life after suffering multiple shotgun wounds.

Now, the much-loved Yorkshireman’s memory lives on, with his family and friends coming together for the sixth anniversary of his untimely death just three days ago.

“You look at them as family, your boxers,” said Jimmy Harrington, who trained Bell as a professional.

“I’m good friends with his sister and brother, and will always keep in touch with his mum. We just try to keep his memory alive at the gym.”

On the walls of Harrington’s gym, Freedom Boxing Club, are paintings of when ‘Bellie’ first began to ply his trade as an exciting featherweight prospect.

It was a career, after all, that only seemed to be heading in one direction, with the British boxing community eagerly anticipating every step of Bell’s rise towards stardom.

“I’m sure he would’ve been a world champion by now – everyone knew how good he was,” Harrington added.

“It was extremely difficult [to come to terms with] because it wasn’t just a death, it was a murder. You’re not just dealing with somebody that passed away; he’s been taken from us.”

As a coach, Harrington has worked with some of the UK’s most revered champions, including former heavyweight king Tyson Fury.

jimmy harrington
Jimmy Harrington

But despite his success in boxing, the Doncaster trainer is most proud of his achievements outside of the ring.

One time, he became aware of the fact that Bell’s cousin, Jimmy Hanrahan, was suffering from a life-threatening illness, to which he immediately responded with an act of selflessness.

“The highlight of my career is saving Jimmy Hanrahan’s life,” Harrington said. “He had a birth defect on his brain and kept suffering from headaches, so I paid for him to see a private neurosurgeon for some scans.

“They found an anomaly on his spinal column and, if they hadn’t have found it, he would be paralysed by now.”

Since then, Hanrahan has continued to train at Freedom Boxing Club, where a crop of amateur and professional fighters learn under the tutelage of Harrington.

But the gym, in many ways, offers more than just boxing, with a group of seven volunteers all looking to improve their local community.

In fact, Harrington’s boxing club is run under the umbrella of his charity, The Spirit of Freedom Project, which works closely with schools and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

But while he continues to have a positive impact on the lives of others, Harrington has nonetheless been compelled to overcome his own spells of adversity.

Shortly after surviving Bowel cancer at the age of 24, the former rugby player made it his ambition to become a professional boxer.

It was not long, however, before his career was cut short, leaving him with the opportunity to pursue coaching and boxing management instead.

“I had two professional fights before having a mental breakdown, so boxing retired me,” Harrington said. “That’s why me and Tyson [Fury] have a great friendship, because we understand each other so much. We both have bipolar.”

Sure enough, Harrington’s relationship with ‘The Gypsy King’ has provided him with a plethora of unforgettable nights.

And yet, even after appearing in Fury’s corner on several occasions, the seasoned coach still has to pinch himself every now and then.

“I was involved in Tyson’s camps whenever he came back from America,” Harrington said.

“It was pretty surreal at times. How does a working-class man born in a pit [mining] village end up working with the world heavyweight champion?”

freedom boxing club, tom bell mural
Freedom Boxing Club, Tom Bell Mural

Of course, reaching the pinnacle of one’s chosen profession is, more often than not, the ultimate goal.

For Harrington, though, there is far more to boxing than just accolades, with the life of Bell, perhaps most importantly, remaining at the forefront of his mind.

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