Scores of people gathered together to honour the life of Bristol boxer Jude Moore who died suddenly last month aged just 19. An event took place in Downend yesterday (April 2) in which the community came together to remember the national titleholder, seen by many as a future world champion.
Hailing from Fishponds, Jude joined Downend Boxing Gym aged ten, and though the young boxer left Bristol to train at Hoddesdon Boxing Academy in Hertfordshire, his influence was still strongly felt by those he had come into contact with. His former coach at the gym, Craig Turner, described him as: “An absolute star; he was irreplaceable. Once you met him, you would never forget him."
A fundraiser launched by his former club to raise money to help pay for the cost of his funeral has raised over £10,000. The gofundme page said: "Whilst nothing anyone can say or do can lessen the sense of loss they and everyone who knew Jude feels, we can show them our love and support with a donation towards the funeral cost that should never have to be. "
Read More: Tributes pour in following death of Bristol’s 'future world champion' boxer Jude Moore
Donations and tributes have flooded in since his death, with Carlo Pegna sharing: "I met Jude at Hoddesdon Boxing Academy in February when he trained me 'Team GB style', his words. He shared his ambition to turn professional and make a career for himself as a boxer.
"Such a wise head for a young man. I knew it would only be a matter of time to realise his dreams. A remarkable young man, his positive attitude was infectious. People like Jude you only meet once in a while, blessed to have met him."
Other people trained by Jude have also shared memories on the site. Nick Cramer said: "You are a top bloke, Jude, I very much enjoyed your classes. If my daughter grows up to have 10% of your attributes, I'll be "made up" with that!" While Hayley M wrote: "My daughter was so fond of you, Thank you for making her laugh when she needed it. The world has lost such a talented, kind young man."
Jude was a two-time National Champion (Schools 2017 and Juniors 2019) and represented the Three Lions at the EUBC Junior European Championships in Romania in 2017. He was also a GB Three Nations champion as well as a Western Counties champion on no less than five occasions and was due to compete in Italy.
Hoddesdon Boxing Academy in Hertfordshire, where he trained, left a tribute to the young boxer on its Facebook page. Head coach Sab Leo said: “It is with a heavy heart that we as a club are deeply saddened with the sudden passing of our amateur boxer Jude Moore.
“He was 19 years old with an infectious personality, and he was a truly valuable asset to us from helping the club with coaching the babies boxing classes and the adults keep fit classes. He was loved by all he came into contact with, and we, as a club, were excited by what was to come. Love to you, Jude and family.”
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