Mick Carney MBE (1935 – 2011) was the club leader and head coach of Fitzroy Lodge Amatuer Boxing Club (ABC) from 1955 – 2011.
During this time Mick made many achievements, such as working as an England coach and then, in 1972, taking over as head coach to the Canadian Olympic boxing team. After that, Mick decided to focus his attention on training up numerous succsesful boxers at the the Lodge. To pick but a few examples of boxers that Mick has trained and supported throughout his years is a difficult task, but some of the more famous are Cornelius Boza Edwards, former WBC super featherweight champion; Ted Bami, former European light welterweight champion and British light welterweight title challenger; the late Nevill Cole, three times ABA champion and more recently David Haye and Jamaican Olympic prospect Jovan Young.
However, Mick’s greatest achievements were with the boxers that did not achieve great fame or success in the sport. It was with the generic (every day) boxers, whom he taught how to exercise self-control, show courage and behave with dignity. It can be guaranteed that these youngsters would not only do their best in the ring, but that they would both win and lose with dignity and never question the referees decisions (a trait that unfortunately is not seen in a number of other sports, open to young people).
Most of our members will never be champions but ‘the Lodge’ helps them to be the best they can be!
Mick was described by those that knew him as fulfilling the role of father, friend, advisor and boxing trainer. He nurtured youngsters that came through the Fitzroy Lodge Amateur Boxing Club to instil a sense of self-discipline, a sense of self-belief and a sense of belonging. These many achievements were recognised in 2003 when he was awarded his MBE for services to amateur boxing. However, Mick was far more than a boxing coach and supported young people to be the best they could be, not matter what field of expertise they chose.
