Boxing has cause to celebrate the official recognition of an unsung hero following the award of an MBE to ex-European and two-time British super middleweight champion James Cook for his selfless work with young people in the economically-challenged London borough of Hackney over the last three decades.
The 48-year-old Jamaican-born trainer was honoured for his efforts within the community. Cook was a decent fighter in his day but is definitely a truly special human being. Despite negligible central funding, he steadfastly utilises his personality, resourcefulness and considerable presence (6ft 2ins and merely pounds over his old super middleweight fighting weight) to eradicate discrimination, heighten self-esteem and generate opportunities for the disaffected youth of one of Britain's most depressed urban areas.
Cook first discovered a gift for connecting with young people during his early teens.
“I can't exactly remember what qualifications I left school with but they were useless enough for me to bin them before I got home and had to show my parents,” he says, the Caribbean accent still strongly prevalent in his lilt.
“From the age of about 14, Jimmy Redwell, the trainer at my amateur club [East Lane in Camberwell Green] used to let me supervise some of sessions and I've enjoyed working with young people ever since. When I left school, and while I was boxing, I ran a youth club over in Dulwich for 11 years.”
Though billed out of Peckham, South London (where he settled from the age of nine), for his entire ring career, since the mid-'80s home has been a humble ex-council house in the heart of Hackney's “Murder Mile”, infamous for its gunshot fatalities.
“This is a lickle part of town that's hidden away. Forgotten,” he sighs.
“The area is rife with drugs, one-parent families, has one of the highest teenage pregnancies and now you've got this E5 code thing. [Wander out of your own postcode and you're likely to hit trouble.] “There's been this rivalry between the three tower blocks: Clapton Park, Nye Bevan, Millfields. Each block houses 400 so you can imagine how many young people [there are]. If the sun come out, they all go down the precinct, nothing to do. People was afraid to come out of their houses - not right.
“Ethnically, there's everything here: Polish, Turks, Indians... and they all have gangs.
“I've no idea where they get guns from but I do know they've got 'em. They say they're protecting themselves. They don't care if they live to see next week.”
Upon his ring retirement, Cook was employed in the area by Clapton Park play service, where the dire lack of communal facilities and formal organisations for young people forced him to improvise.
“Anywhere I could find space, I'd get the kids together and just play with whatever was available. Football, running, any kind of exercise to keep fit,” he says.
More recently, the former champion has immersed himself into rekindling the neighbourhood's Pedro Youth Centre, an aesthetically bleak facility on Rushmore Road that has latterly become the pulse of the local youth community.
Four years ago, the premises were closed amid allegations of embezzlement against the previous management.
“While the youth service were searching downstairs, I discovered the lease papers upstairs, realised it still had 44 years to run, and refused to hand them over. We also discovered several cheques from the previous management had been cashed with just one signature instead of two as required. The bank was at fault and had to return £19,000 to us,” recalls Cook. “Next, I went to the boxing community - Frank Maloney, Derek Williams, Bruce Baker, Bernard Hart, Marvin Stone - got a management team in place and we were up and running again.”
At present, he opens the centre six days a week.
“We get kids as young as eight, up to 25. No fee is charged and they're queuing up to come. With proper funding, we could get a hundred young people through the door, off the street, out of the way and safe for a few hours. Give the estates a bit of peace outside,” he says.
“We've organised activity trips out of London, encouraging the kids from the different local estates to mix and work together.
“In addition to the boxing gym, we've a music studio, table tennis, table football, drama classes, an art room. We do conflict resolution and there's a sexual-health clinic. [Pro trainer] Brian Lawrence comes in a few times a week and teaches 'em boxing and they're very keen. Hopefully, we'll soon start an amateur club. For the past few months, they've been fixing up old bikes to send to Africa. We're training a few to get qualifications to be youth leaders and hopefully carry on after us.
“We offer occupational training rather than education. Tell these kids about English and maths and they laugh in your face. But if they can learn painting, decorating, plumbing, bricklaying - something that could help them get ahead and bring in a decent wage - suddenly they're interested. Subsequently, they might choose to learn the English and maths.
“Through boxing, I know a lot of people I can phone and get favours done. Barry Hearn helps out with tickets for the snooker or Leyton Orient [football club]. I also coached Surrey cricketers for four years so I can ring up [former England captain] Alec Stewart to help those interested in that.
“If we identify talent - boxing, football, cricket, whatever - we usually have the contacts to send them somewhere. One of my kids is now playing pro football in Scotland with Livingston.”
The project succeeds largely on the strength of Cook's infectious enthusiasm and energy and a golden manner of communicating, which is instinctive rather than learnt.
“I always try to speak to the kids on their level, try to turn any potentially embarrassing situations into a joke, have a laugh. But they know how far they can go. When it's time to work, my face changes,” he explains.
“I have to keep sharp. Three days a week I get up at five o'clock in the morning and run for three miles around Hackney Downs Park. Every day, I see 'em looking at me thinking: 'Soon, we'll have you!'
“If they challenge me, I'll give 'em a lickle dig on the leg or have a playful wrestle, and they'll say: 'Yeah, he still got it!' There's still lots of exercises I can do that they can't.”
Once he has interested, Cook subtly attempts to modify any anti-social behaviour or attitudes that may inhibit his charges from progressing out in the big wide world. He serves as a consummate role model.
“When they're here, we try to help with interview techniques, the need to change these 'street' attitudes, plus promote basic manners and respect,” he explains.
“I detest all this 'ho' and 'bitch' in the music. I tell 'em: 'Come on, you've got a mum and sisters. One day hopefully you'll have a girlfriend.' They say it's just the fashion.
“Occasionally, I'll take 'em across to the shop to order something but they have to say, 'yes please... thank you... excuse me... sorry... hello... goodbye'.
“Today, some kids see manners as a sign of weakness and their parents let them speak how they want. I may be a big man but, to this day, I still have to be careful how I speak around my mum. I'd still get a lick!”
His crusade has brought immediate benefits to the wider community.
“When the club closed down about four years ago, juvenile crime in the area shot through the roof. In the year and a half since we re-opened, the drop in crime has been huge,“ claims Ufo Niazi, the centre manager.
“Despite his achievements in the ring, James has never become detached. He serves as a surrogate father to so many of these young people. He doesn't preach or hassle the kids like many adults they meet but, instead, offers consistency in his regime and morality, and sensible guidance geared to their actual needs.”
Typical of Cook, he hasn't been bragging about his award. Richard Williams, the Stockwell stylist Cook trained to the Commonwealth light-middleweight crown, was unaware of the royal approval but provided the following tribute.
“MBE? Well, deservedly so,” said “The Secret”, who now works as a community worker for Southwark council.
“He's one of the most likeable people you'll meet in life, a real community person. He doesn't need to know someone personally to want to help them, even if it's just to inform some rogue that what they're doing is wrong. His advice is always for their benefit. ”
The sentiments were reiterated by the Boxing Board.
“James has been a credit to boxing both in and out of the ring,” acknowledges General Secretary Simon Block.
“He was a fine champion and a very adept and astute trainer. The reality-TV programme [Channel 4's The Secret Millionaire, which highlighted Cook's work] showed up the best aspects of our sport and his honour from Her Majesty is well deserved and fitting.”
And so a royal appointment awaits.
“I believe I'll be going to Buck House in October so I better start polishing up on my English,” he quips.
“I'm very proud. For me, starting as a lickle boy with nothing, to this… It might inspire the kids I work with that they, too, can achieve if they try hard enough.”
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