Boxing Beyond Barriers: Gold Coast fight week makes heavyweight impact

Boxing Beyond Barriers – the event’s Official Community Partner – supported activity across the week, from a special open workout with local young people to the Fight Day 5K along the iconic Gold Coast beachfront.

On Monday, dozens of youngsters involved in the programme travelled from Brisbane to the Gold Coast for the workouts, before attention turned to one of the most spectacular Fight Day 5K routes to date on Wednesday morning.

Bright and early, runners gathered beneath the iconic Surfers Paradise sign before heading out along one of Australia’s most recognisable stretches of coastline.

The route followed the beachfront south towards Broadbeach, taking in the Gold Coast’s famous ocean views before turning inland towards the finish at The Star Gold Coast – the setting for that evening’s fight card.

Once there, runners remained together to socialise and soak up the atmosphere ahead of the evening’s action.

Matchroom Chairman Eddie Hearn was once again among those at the start line, joined by heavyweight headliner Teremoana Teremoana and his teammate, super-middleweight star Jack Bowen, who met participants before the run got underway.

This Gold Coast edition of the 5K owed much to the on-the-ground support of Williams and his team at The Boxing Shop, alongside Chrissy Ve from DAZN, whose local knowledge and relationships helped bring the area’s boxing and fitness communities together.

That local involvement remains central to the Fight Day 5K. While its accessible and social format remains consistent, each event is shaped by the character and communities of its host city.

Rather than a competitive road race, the 5K welcomes people of all ages and abilities to run, jog or walk together, using the profile of fight week to encourage physical activity and connect local communities with boxing away from the arena.

Since its early UK origins, the initiative has grown into a global feature of Matchroom fight weeks, bringing communities together in major cities around the world – most recently crossing the Manhattan Bridge in New York.

The Gold Coast provided another distinctive setting. Beginning beneath one of Australia’s best-known beachfront landmarks, following the coastline and finishing at the fight venue, the route connected the city and its communities directly with the occasion unfolding later that day.

Together with the open workout, the 5K demonstrated how meaningful local activity can become part of the wider fight-week experience.

Behind the week’s activity was a programme that has spent 15 years using boxing to reach young people whom traditional interventions have often struggled to engage.

Founded by Gareth Williams in 2011, Boxing Beyond Barriers was created to re-engage young people who had become disconnected from education or were considered at risk, helping them reconnect with their school communities.

What began with a set of pads and a single session at a South East Queensland school has developed into an established programme operating across more than 50 schools, youth justice centres and community partnerships throughout the region.

More than 5,000 young people have now been supported through its combination of non-contact boxing, structured physical activity and consistent mentorship.

Sessions are built around four central values – discipline, resilience, respect and self-belief – but producing competitive boxers has never been the programme’s primary objective.

“Boxing Beyond Barriers is a programme we started in 2011,” explained Williams.

“It was always about re-engaging disengaged and at-risk young people with their school community,” he continued.

“Everyone asks how many fighters we get out of the programme, but it’s not about that. I encourage the young people involved to chase their own dreams. That doesn’t have to be boxing, although the opportunity is there if they want it.”

“One of the lessons I teach is that if you drop your hands, you get hit. Life is exactly the same. Boxing is where I started as a kid – and it’s good to now use it to provide some inspiration.”

Williams and his coaching team take the programme directly into schools and community organisations, removing the need for young people to enter unfamiliar environments.

Equipment is provided and sessions are delivered on site, typically in groups of 10 to 15 and at no cost to participants’ families. Each partnership is tailored to the young people involved, with schools and community organisations helping determine its structure, frequency and intended outcomes.

Crucially, the support extends beyond a short-term intervention. Gareth and his coaches build trusted relationships with participants, recognising progress, supporting important transitions and providing the consistent guidance many young people need.

That long-term approach has earned Boxing Beyond Barriers a strong reputation across the region, with partner schools reporting improvements in participants’ attendance, behaviour and engagement.

Its contribution has also received wider recognition. Williams was named a Westfield Local Hero in 2023, while the programme’s work has been featured across Australian television and radio.

As Matchroom’s Official Community Partner on the Gold Coast, Boxing Beyond Barriers hosted a special open workout ahead of the Fight Day 5K, giving local young people the opportunity to train alongside Matchroom fighters and share in the excitement of fight week.

Teremoana, Bowen and other featured undercard fighters joined participants for a series of boxing-based activities, spending time with the group and offering encouragement throughout the session.

Bowen recognised the opportunity for fighters to use their profile and experiences positively.

“What I’m trying to do with my platform is inspire the next generation,” he said.

For Teremoana, the value of the programme lies in the direction and trusted support it provides to young people facing hardship.

“They are helping disadvantaged kids by giving them good guidance,” said the heavyweight star.

“I give all the credit to them because they’ve done a great job with me as well. Thank you very much.”

The collaboration placed an organisation with 15 years of proven local impact on the international fight-week stage, while giving the young people it supports an active role in the occasion.

Attention eventually returned to The Star Gold Coast, where Teremoana reinforced his status as one of Australian boxing’s most exciting heavyweight talents with another explosive knockout victory.

Yet his impact across the week extended beyond the power he displayed inside the ring. From training alongside young people in Brisbane to meeting runners at the start line in Surfers Paradise, Teremoana demonstrated the influence fighters can carry within their communities.

As he continued building his own future in the heavyweight division, the week shone a deserved spotlight on Boxing Beyond Barriers and its work helping young people across South East Queensland shape futures of their own.