Champion boxers have expressed their sadness after a devastating fire took place at the home of their old gym, claiming the lives of at least six people.
A massive fire occurred at the Grenfell Tower in the early hours of this morning, which is the home of the Dale Youth ABC (Amateur Boxing Club), where world champion boxers James DeGale and George Groves trained as amateurs.
The boxing club was included in a £10million refurbishment of the building last year. A spokesperson from the main contractor which carried out the project, told The Guardian that the project 'met all required building control, fire regulation and health & safety standards.'
Following today's horrific event, both Groves and DeGale posted tribute messages on their respective Twitter pages.
WBA super-middleweight champion Groves posted:
Prayers are with the residents of GrenfellTowers. DaleYouthABC has been the past 15years. I was there Sunday. So sad https://t.co/kg0E0tKr9Q
— George Groves (@StGeorgeGroves) June 14, 2017
DeGale won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and is the current IBF super-middleweight champion. He wrote:
Shocked at devastation at #GrenfellTower block where my old amateur club Dale Youth is. My thoughts are with everyone affected 😧😔â¤ï¸
— James DeGale (@jamesdegale1) June 14, 2017
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.