Matt Sen committed to helping city kids

Matt Sen (left) with Commonwealth champ Matt Windle

FOR muscled former pro Matt Sen, the grit and determination displayed against some of the best cruisers in the country is paying dividends in a very different direction.

The 35-year-old is using the steel and grit forged by the sport to help his community.

Sen is now the imposing force behind Bright Star, located on Bilston high street – an establishment with one aim: to take children, some troubled, some excluded from school, some facing the threat of exclusion, and steering them onto the right path.

Working alongside former amateur heavy Joe Lockley, who launched the Bright Star business plan, and Kat Stanworth, Sen – who also made waves as a body-builder – has hit the ground running.

Launched on January 4, the Bilston base already has packed classes. Importantly, Sen and his four man team are seeing a marked difference in the young people attending.

Those walking through the doors receive a blend of boxing tuition and academic studies leading to qualifications.

In layman’s terms, it’s gaining job skills after learning to perfect a jab.

Sen’s commitment as a fighter to face the best, shrug off the odds stacked against him and leave everything in the ring is now paying dividends in a diverse career.

“They start by punching out their frustration on the bag,” said Sen, “because we don’t know what their yesterday was like or what their today will be.

“I was one of these kids – no direction, no role models. Boxing taught me a lesson, it gave me character, it gave me a thirst to be a winner. Boxing gave me so much – and I’m blessed to be in a position to now give something back. This is the perfect way to give something back.

“If I can do it, these kids can do it. Twenty years ago, I was where these kids are now, but back then there was no support.”

The education system is learning the lesson hammered out – on bags and pads – by Sen, Lockley and Stanworth. Not all pupils can be measured by exam success, some will burn to unleash their burning energy and frustrations in a classroom environment.

To throw them on the scrap heap is to fan the flames of a future problem.

On March 4, Sen, Joe Lockley and Kat Stanworth shine a spotlight on their aspirations with an open day at the Bilston base. The list of fighters and ex fighters present will include former British heavyweight champ Julius Francis who famously faced Mike Tyson.

“I want parents to come,” said Sen, “because every time those parents have been to school it’s probably for a bad reason. Wouldn’t it be great for those parents to come to a facility where their children are doing well and they don’t know it? Some of these students will never be academic, yet the focus in schools is on academic students.

“One hundred per cent I’ve seen so much change in these kids. The change has been phenomenal.

“I thought it would be a slow process, but it has grown legs so quickly. Now we’re looking to take it to Birmingham, Stoke, Stafford…the lists goes on.”

Sen added: “I’m living the dream, I’m living something I feel. I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in today.”