Sheffield United players' fitness stuns boxing coach
Sheffield United’s up and coming young talent has been spending part of their pre-season training at Rob Riley’s Boxing Gym
A veteran boxing coach has described Sheffield United's best teenagers as "machines" after watching them work out at his new gym.
Bramall Lane's Under 18s were invited to tackle some of the drills and equipment used by boxers at Rob Riley's Old Forge building, a few hundred yards from Sheffield Wednesday's stadium.
And after witnessing their stamina, speed and strength, Riley said he was blown away.
"The Sheffield United lads showed outstanding fitness, it really was phenomenal," he said.
"Boxing is the fittest sport in the world in my view, but they showed they were up for it, doing brilliantly on circuits, bag work and strength and conditioning.
"They were split into groups and went from one fitness station to another and they were outstanding - like machines.
"It surprised me very much. They showed they were in the right state mentally as well as physically.
"You could see that, although boxing is an individual sport, they could still manage to help each other as a team, egging each other on.
"They brought a great vibe and were very respectful - a credit to Sheffield United. They seemed to enjoy it, too.”
Riley, who supports both the Blades and Owls, said he was due to talk to Hillsborough staff about opportunities for them to do some training at the Old Forge, too.
It certainly is an unusual venue - its 27,000 square feet unit on Herries Road dwarfs most other gyms in South Yorkshire.
The 61-year-old moved into the former bus depot in March.
"I'd had a vision of a combined boxing gym and events venue and this was just the place I wanted," he said.
"It's good for boxing shows - we've had one professional and one amateur show so far and they went really well - and we plan to bring in bands and do comedy nights.
"I'm there every day, it's my potting shed!"
The gym moved to Hillsborough from Handsworth and now has ten coaches.
Riley said they were "holding our own" financially in the huge venue, and had plans to run it to its "full potential."
This will include a 'fanzone' for Owls supporters, on their way to home matches, both midweek and weekends, in the coming season.
At the moment, the Old Forge can fit 800 people into events and hopes to eventually make that 1,200.
"The feedback after the boxing show was so positive, mainly because we put on 50-50 fights" said Rob.
"We are careful how we match fighters in terms of ability. Nobody fights on our bill just to make the numbers up. There are no easy rides, everyone is coming to win."
Another pro boxing show is planned for September 26.
Riley's professional boxers include Bianca Johnson, Ricky Reeves, Florence Inett, Kerry Orton and Amy Greatorex.