This week on Macklin's Take we bring you a very special episode. We talk often on the podcast about amateur boxing, about how vital amateur clubs are, not just to the sport, but also to the communities they belong to, and how the people who run them are the sport's true, unsung heroes. Well a couple of weeks ago Matt invited me along to the birthday party of his old amateur coach, a man who helped save and shape so many young people's lives and who also brought through more than his fair share of champions. Pat Benson, in his late 80s now, ran Small Heath Boxing club, a powerhouse of an ABC, for decades and the turnout at the Irish Centre spoke volumes about the esteem in which he is held by everyone who walked through the doors of the club. We sat down with the likes of Wayne Elcock, Paul Ramsey, Anthony Maynard, Rowan Williams, Dennis Brown and Shaun Cogan amongst others to re-live some glory days and reflect on the impact boxing and Small Heath has had on their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices