
Community
Newport schoolchildren left stunned as Spiderman makes special visit!

February 22 2024
In the Community: St Gabriel's RC Primary School, Newport
Students at St Gabriel’s RC Primary School in Ringland, Newport were left stunned this morning, as Spiderman – more commonly known to boxing fans as Featherweight prospect, Brandon Scott – made a surprise appearance to deliver an extra special motivational assembly for Year 5 and 6 students.
Scott was joined by Matchroom’s Fighter Content Executive, Caitlin Bennett and Head of Community Development, Alex Le Guével, as the trio ran a short, non-contact introduction to boxing and shared details of their respective career journeys, including the obstacles they have each had to overcome to find themselves in the positions they hold today.
The visit was particularly special for Bennett, who herself grew up in Newport and knows first hand the challenges that youngsters from the city can face when looking to explore careers further afield.

You can do anything you put your mind to if you work hard enough!
- Caitlin Bennett
“Visiting St Gabriel’s as a member of Matchroom Boxing staff felt like a real full circle moment,” said Bennett.
“Having the company I work for show an interest in the community I grew up in – and that still means so much to me – was special,” she added.
“Proving to children in a disadvantaged area of the city that I’m so proud to be from, that you can do anything you put your mind to if you work hard enough, was really important to me!”

In contrast, Brandon Scott’s journey to becoming a Matchroom fighter quite literally saw him travel air, land and sea – as his new signing video illustrates. However, he’d already overcome a lot more before the opportunity to sign for Matchroom even presented itself.
When Scott was 12 years old, he was bullied in secondary school for being overweight and for having Tourette’s Syndrome. Classmates called him names and picked on him, often talking behind his back about his appearance and leaving him out of conversations.
Not wanting to let them upset him, Scott tried his best to focus on himself and his interests and to ignore their negativity – until his doctor told him he urgently need to lose weight and become healthier. After seeing his GP, Scott went home to his dad and, inspired by the Rocky movie franchise the pair enjoyed watching together, asked him if he could take up boxing. Initially, Scott’s dad was less than impressed and hoped he would find a different sport to train in – but soon helped his son get into the sport.
Ultimately, Scott had made up his mind: he wanted to learn to box, get better and better over time – and one day make a living from it. He wanted to prove to himself and to his school bullies that just because he had Tourette’s and was overweight, it didn’t mean he couldn’t do whatever he set his mind to.

Now 6-0 in his professional career, training under the guidance of former World Champion Gavin Rees, and very much proving his doubters wrong, Scott was keen to remind pupils from St Gabriel’s that it’s always important to be yourself.
An original is always worth more than a copy.
- Brandon Scott
“It’s essential for the next generation to understand that our time on this planet is very limited,” said Scott.
“Don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Be yourself and be original because remember, an original is always worth more than a copy!”
After visiting the children at St Gabriel’s, Scott has most certainly garnered a new group of enthusiastic supporters. These young fans will now eagerly anticipate his next bout at the Manchester Arena on Saturday 13th April, where he will be featured as part of a stacked undercard to the main event – Jordan Gill v Zelfa Barrett.