The Southampton boxing gym guiding inner city youngsters in and out of the ring

Nestled between a convenience store and a fishmongers on a busy high street, blink and you could easily miss the Inner City Boxing gym.

A black and gold sign over its front door stands in contrast to the old, run-down building on which it is mounted.

Inside, a narrow, dark wooden staircase takes you up into a small room where a boxing ring sits centre stage, surrounded by punchbags hanging from a metal rig.

The sound of punches burying into pads brings the place to life.

"This is an amazing place," Raj Bajwa, a coach at Inner City Boxing, told BBC South Today. "It is the hub of our community.

"We offer a bit of stability, support and guidance - this is something that highlights the positive in our community."

Inner City Boxing is situated in the St Mary's area of Southampton, just a stone's throw from the home ground of the city's Championship football team, the Saints.

"St Mary's has a lot of negativity," Bajwa added. "We are not only here to help get the kids off the streets but we are here to help their mental health.

"During Covid when the club was shut down, you realised just how much of an impact this place had.

"A lot of us coaches come straight from work. We are teachers, we work in care homes, we work with vulnerable people and bring that experience of life into this club."

Alishan Anwar (left) and Hugo Searle (right) came through a number of tough fights over a period of weeks to earn their titles

Amongst the crowd of keen young amateurs working the pads at Inner City are a pair of newly crowned national champions.

Alishan Anwar, 19, recently won the senior under 63.5kg title at the National Development Championships.

His gym mate, 16-year-old Hugo Searle, won the junior under 60kg competition.

"It is a dream come true," Anwar said. "Words can't describe what it was like to win the title.

"Boxing keeps me disciplined, humble and it has taught me to respect others more. The sport definitely plays a role in your life outside the gym too."

'Like a proud father'

Searle, who has only been boxing for two years, is also quick to praise Inner City and the sport for the positive impact it has had on his life.

"It was incredible to win, I felt so many emotions, it is hard to describe," he said.

"This sport really helps my mental health and I feel like you can let a lot of stress out here which makes me more relaxed and a better person.

"I train in the gym about three times a week and I feel great afterwards.

"But I put in a lot of work outside the gym too, going running - you have to be dedicated 24/7."

Both young fighters dream of becoming world champions one day, and Bajwa believes they are heading in the right direction.

"It was a very proud moment [to see them win titles]" the coach added.

"I felt like a proud father as well as a coach because you spend a lot of time with these kids.

"To see them achieve something so big like a national title after some difficult fights, it it brilliant."