Aylesbury Vale grandad loses three stone boxing for charity in memory of his late father

A grandad from an Aylesbury Vale village lost three stone after taking part in a charity boxing match in memory of his firefighter father.

Ross Dobson, 53, of Bledlow, lost his dad, Brian, after he was diagnosed with cancer, following exposure to asbestos.

Ross' dad introduced him to boxing, a sport the 53-year-old credits with putting him on a better path in his early life.

If it wasn't for the sweet science, Ross believes he would never have become a paramedic or spent his free time coaching.

Despite being involved with boxing throughout his life, Ross had never competed so he decided to sign up to an Ultra White Collar Boxing match.

Participants in Ultra White Collar Boxing bouts are given the opportunity to take part in eight weeks of free professional boxing training before a showcase event in front of hundreds of spectators.

All contestants have to do in return is raise £50 for the charity.

So far, Ultra Events - the organisation which runs UWCB - has raised a staggering £23 million for Cancer Research UK.

Ross - who moved to the UK from Australia in 2015 - went from weighing 15st 1lb (96kg) to 12st 3lbs (78kg), after training for his event by skipping for 45 minutes twice daily and cutting out meat and alcohol.

Inspired by the TV show Australian Survivor, Ross – of Perry Lane, Bledlow, only ate rice and beans for dinner in the months leading up to his bout.

Ross' father, who was originally from Newcastle on Tyneside, died at the age of 74 from mesothelioma, after being exposed to asbestos while working as a firefighter in Australia.

Ross said: “My dad was my mentor, my best friend and my role model. We lost him to cancer in 2016, after he was exposed to asbestos when he was a firefighter back in the 1970s.

“In the old days, they used to use asbestos in the gloves and on the hose. He was an officer as well so part of his role was to investigate fires and a lot of buildings had asbestos in them.

“My dad has been my inspiration throughout, because no matter what I’ve endured in training, it pales in comparison to what he went through in his fight.

“He was 74 when he died. His dad Bill died at 96 and his mum Dorothy died at 100 so his life was definitely cut short.

“I wasn’t a well-behaved kid and dad and my uncle, Ken Whiffin, got me involved in boxing, to help settle me down.

“Whilst I didn’t have the motivation and dedication to compete back then, it did provide me with enough discipline to put me on a better path in life.

“I became a paramedic over 22 years ago which would not have happened without boxing.

“Having the discipline to study, to mentor and to work in a demanding role is all a result of the lessons I learned back then.”

Not only have Bucks bruisers at Chesham Youth Amateur Club benefitted from Ross' teaching, he also taught the sport in aboriginal communities in Australia as well.

Ross, who is now a Safeguarding Specialist for the London Ambulance Service, walked out to the Blaydon Races in memory of his Newcastle-supporting dad and had the football team’s logo on his shorts.

On the night, he was supported by 25 friends and family including his wife Atty, 45, and his 18 year old daughter Gigi.

Ross – who has three other children, Bridie, 13, Wil, 21, and Molly, 24 – raised £900 for Cancer Research UK.

He is grandfather to two-year-old Frankie, who lives in Australia with her mum Molly and who he has never met due to the pandemic.

At the bout in Hemel Hempstead, Ross finished his opponent in the third round.

More information on the boxing initiative is available on the Ultra White Collar Boxing website.