Boxing legend Bruno packing a punch in mental health fight

SPORTING legend Frank Bruno MBE may have retired from boxing - but he still packs a powerful punch.

Now the gloved hands that once meted out punishing blows to opponents are a symbol of help and hope.

Who says? Those who seek help from the former WBC heavyweight champ and his team at the Frank Bruno Foundation at its Northampton-based gym.

Like former drug user Daniel Cheney, 40, who had hit rock bottom: “It seems stupid to get people together to do a bit of boxing. But it literally is life changing and saves a lot of people’s lives.”

Or Deni Rovegno, 20, who became reclusive after leaving college and is now a full-time Foundation coach: “This place saved my life and then it kept me on the right track. It helped me reintegrate into society. I’m really grateful.”

Or Craig Brown, 40, who withdrew from the world after spinal surgery left him in a wheelchair for a time: “I locked myself away from the world and tried to drink myself to death. My life had become totally unmanageable, and I was unhappy. I needed something because there was only one place I was going towards. But I’m in a better place now.”

Frank, 62, set up the charity in 2017 because of his own mental health struggles. The dad-of-four, who famously fought Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis, wanted to provide help to support others. Postcode Lottery players have raised £50,000 to support the work.

In a previous interview, he said: “Mental illness is a terrible thing to have to cope with, but I’ve learnt it’s a fight you can win if you live your life the right way.”

Now his Foundation team are looking to beat the stigma that still surrounds mental health issues.

Chairman David Davies said: “Despite the shift in attitudes over the last few years, there is still a strong stigma associated with mental health issues.

“The Frank Bruno Foundation aims to combat this by providing a safe space for its service users to speak openly about their experiences with mental health.”

One of the charity’s main initiatives is the eight week Round by Round programme which offers wellbeing workshops and structured non-contact boxing sessions for anyone over the age of 10. It also gives clients the tools and techniques to help manage their own mental health.

David said: “The aim of the foundation is to bring healthy-body and healthy-mind approaches together to support all service-users with mental ill health.”

And it is working for people like Deni, who is now employed at the gym, Daniel, who volunteers, and Craig, who just completed the programme.

Daniel told how he heard about the Foundation from a friend, and it has transformed his life.

Through tears, the dad-of-two said: “At that point I hadn’t left my house for four years. I lost my sister when I was 12 and suffered my whole life with depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety. I was a heavy drug user from the age of 12 or 13. I tried to carry on with life as normal, but I failed miserably.

“The first time coming here was really hard with lots of people. But I stuck to it and came once a week, then twice a week, then training twice a day, six days a week.

“Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I gradually started coming back more and more and now I’m part of the furniture.”

He added: “I found a new me. It’s changed my life so much. I had tried to get myself better, but nothing worked until I came here.”

Dad-of-two Craig, who was previously a contract manager for a large maintenance company responsible for more than 170 employees, revealed his life crumbled after surgery. 

He said: “I was referred to The Frank Bruno Foundation. I was suffering from alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety. I’d recently undergone spinal surgery which left me pretty much wheelchair bound.

“The programme has helped me regain my confidence and purpose. Since I’ve been here, I’ve made some really good friends. I’m a completely different person to what I was six months ago. The future is brighter.”

Deni has seen his life completely turned around from being locked away in his bedroom to an ambitious young man.

Deni said: “I loved college but, after it finished, I had no real goals. I ended up becoming reclusive. I sat in my room for six months straight. Then Covid hit and made it worse. Every time I left the house, my body had a reaction to anxiety. I got a stabbing sensation from the back of my head to my ankles.”

“My GP spoke about coming to The Frank Bruno Foundation. I ended up joining the first programme and the hardest thing was walking through the door. But I loved it as soon as I walked in.”

He completed the then 12-week course in July 2021, was later offered a volunteer position and is now a full-time coach.

He added: “I’d like to be able to work on through the ranks and run the place. I’ve always got goals now and that is something that’s really important to me.”

Frank may have a left hook that leaves the Tysons of this world reeling, but graciously sidesteps any praise in favour of his team when he hears those powerful testimonies.

Speaking in the ring with murals of his glory days as a backdrop, he said: “That’s so nice to hear. Sometimes it is a little bit personal. Everyone that comes through here, they leave with a smile on their face. It’s a big achievement just to come through the door for a lot of people. They come up here and they love it. It makes me feel proud that people come and do the courses.

“I’ve got a lot of the right people around me. They’re helping the club and it’s growing. I’m just the name on the charity. The team have done a great job.”