Mark Prince launches Champions' Club 20 years after son's murder

Former boxer Mark Prince has launched The Champions' Club to mark two decades since his son Kiyan was stabbed to death outside a London school in 2006. The initiative, unveiled through the Kiyan Prince Foundation, includes a 20-point blueprint for improving youth services and a £400,000 fundraising target for a dedicated youth space, Sky Sports reports.

Kiyan, a promising youth player at Queens Park Rangers, died on May 18, 2006 after intervening in a confrontation at the London Academy in Edgware. Hannad Hasan, then a teenager, stabbed him to death. Prince has spent the years since turning his grief into advocacy, determined to prevent other families from experiencing similar loss.

Prince calls for prevention over policing in knife crime fight

"The fire is burning because you can see that from the very beginning, I've spoken about the vision," Prince told Sky Sports. "You don't have to keep policing the matter. It's a prevention matter. Hurt people are hurting people. If we can get to the hurt people, then we can start reducing all the people that they're hurting." The 57-year-old revealed he once sought to meet his son's killer in prison, explaining that holding onto unforgiveness would only imprison him in bitterness.

The Champions' Club blueprint includes 10 policy recommendations, among them better compensation for youth workers, longer-term planning, and amplified community input. Foundation research found 75 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds said being young in the UK today is difficult. Prince argues schools focus too narrowly on exam results while neglecting self-identity and resilience, leaving graduates directionless despite their qualifications.

Prince compiled an 18-knockout record across 23 wins before his lone defeat came against WBO world champion Dariusz Michalczewski. Injury forced him to retire at 30, but he looks back with satisfaction. "I started late, 21 years old. I built up a career of 18 undefeated fights before I fought for a world title in his back yard," he said. The Champions' Club aims to bring in corporate partners and public support to scale up the foundation's work with at-risk youth.

Source: skysports.com