Licensee takes fight to knife crime

A former boxing champion turned licensee is encouraging youths to step into the ring to turn them away from knife crime.

Former Irish super heavyweight title holder Paddy Finn is orchestrating the Take Knives Out (TKO) campaign from his pub - the Dubliner, in Digbeth, Birmingham.

The city has suffered from knife crime in the past and Paddy is determined to help youngsters avoid heading down that path.

He said: "It's great to see kids getting excited by it. We are advertising boxing clubs, sponsoring football clubs and rugby teams, showing that there are other options out there.

"Boxing keeps kids in the gym rather than hanging about on the streets. It helps them to keep active and fit.

"Boxing and most other sports helps you feel a part of a team without having to turn to gangs."

The campaign has also received backing from Birmingham based former World amateur champion Frankie Gavin.

As well as signing a stack of TKO t-shirts for the pub the lightweight fighter is planning on wearing TKO shorts in his next bout.

Paddy said: "He is a young boxer and a real inspiration to kids around here. He makes them excited about boxing and the opportunities it can give them."

And it's not only the hard-hitters of the boxing world that are supporting Paddy's battle against knife crime.

Since he started the campaign four months ago it has gathered great support from the public.

Paddy said: "It's amazing, we have got almost 2,000 fans on Facebook and lots of them are schools and kids. "That's the most important thing, they're the people that we're trying to get the message out to."

For more information visit the Dubliner's Facebook page​