Dominic Negus' gym opened in Rayleigh with Kevin Greenwood

Dominic Negus, who fought Olympic champion Harrison in 2002, has teamed up with pro-fighter Kevin Greenwood to open the Greenwood Negus Gym on Eastwood Road, Rayleigh. 

The new gym opened for the first time on Sunday as the pair look to team up and help a new generation of fighters in south Essex. 

In action - Dominic trains a fighter (Image: Greenwood Negus Gym)

Dominic, 54, admits he has had his “fair share of controversy” - including becoming involved with gang crime following his career - but is now focused on giving back to the community. 

He said: “ I’ve made plenty of mistakes, it’s well-documented. I got involved in the silly things when I should have concentrated on my boxing career, and now I’m keen to make sure others don’t go down the road I travelled.

“We’re trying to look to the area for the youngsters, we’re looking more to help young people, not just adults.

“We opened on Sunday and we had so many people here, it was phenomenal

Silly past - Dominic said he is looking to help others avoid going the same road he did (Image: Greenwood Negus Gym)

“We’re off and running in our first week, it’s the kind of place for everybody. We’re trying to make it a great place for the community.

“It’s for everybody, anyone who wants to take part can. We’ve taken the time to get this gym just how we wanted it.”

The boxers have a wealth of experience between them, having competed in the paid, unlicensed and bare-knuckle ranks of the sport.

Opening - The gym opened on Sunday (Image: Greenwood Negus Gym)

Their gym also serves as a training base for up-and-coming middleweight fighter Dylan Phoenix-Morrison, 25, who will compete in his first professional bout at the Sunderland Live Arena on November 9.

Dominic hailed the boxer as “special” and said the public should look out for him in future.

Exciting fighter - Dylan Phoenix-Morrison sharpens his tools (Image: Greenwood Negus Gym)

Kevin said: “Over the last six months, we’ve put a huge amount of effort in to make this gym the best it can be.

“Now we’ve opened the doors, we’re both looking forward to putting the hours in and helping people to reach their goals - whether that’s with boxing or with their fitness generally.

“This sport is all we’ve done, all we’ve known, we want to take our knowledge and experience and give back to the community.

“We want to teach kids boxing, keep their minds and their bodies healthy.”

The gym will be open from 6am to 9pm, Monday to Friday; 7am to 3pm on Saturday; 8am to 2pm on Sunday.