Islington Boxing Club: We’re all in this battle together

Published: 15 October, 2010
by STEVE BARNETT

PLANS to expand a top amateur boxing club are under threat after committee members made it clear they are part of a continuing legal fight. 

Former chairman Oner Avara said he was taking legal action against Islington Boxing Club founder Ron Hagland and his son Lenny “personally” – and not the club – in a dispute surrounding a rent hike. 

Hitting back at claims that any legal battle could potentially cripple the club, Mr Avara said: “Any claims that we’re trying to damage the club are nonsense. We’re not taking legal action against the club, we’re taking it against Ron and Lenny personally.”

But the 10-man committee at the club in Hazellville Road, Upper Holloway, have revealed they are giving their full support to the Hagland family. 

In a joint statement they said: “The committee has voted to indemnify both men and views any legal action taken against them as individuals to be an attack on the club; as invariably it will draw on our finances and reputation. 

“Ron founded the club and Lenny has been with us since he was a young boy. They are the club in a way that Mr Avara never could be.”

The move will increase fears that the costs of battling the legal case could damage the club long-term. 

New chairman Lenny Hagland, who lives in Manor House, said: “Any spiralling costs will, of course, seriously threaten the future we have planned for the club. We were hoping to agree a lease with Islington Council and then work towards our plans to develop the gym and turn it into a multi-purpose centre that the community can take full advantage of and be proud of. 

“Obviously, the costs of any pending legal action will seriously ham­per those plans, but I can promise you that, regardless what happens, the club will survive.” 

Mr Hagland added that it was important to rise above the allegations flying around. The dispute started when the boxing club put up the rent paid by Mr Avara’s company, Left Hook Ltd, trading as Boxing London, from £8 an hour to £40 an hour. 

“There is a lot of mud throwing going on from both sides, which is irrelevant,” Mr Hagland said. “The crux of the matter is that we have never given Mr Avara’s company a tenancy agreement. We don’t even have one ourselves. We have a tenancy at will, which means technically Islington Council could throw us out whenever they want, so how could we offer Mr Avara an oral business agreement?

“We believe the £8 an hour we were charging them isn’t the going rate and in the interest of the club we needed to in­crease the rent. We put together a new offer. We were ready to negotiate but they don’t want to know.”