A North East political heavyweight is set to step into the boxing
ring at London's famous boxing venue, the York Hall, to become a heavyweight of
another kind next month.
Chess playing MEP Jonathan Arnott will be punching above his weight -
literally - when he swaps the chequered board for boxing gloves in a charity
double whammy seeking to raise money for the Ally Cadence Trust for Spinal
Muscular Atrophy (ACT for SMA).
Jonathan is raising money for the charity after a friend and colleague
sadly lost their baby daughter to the condition in
October.
In what promoters describe as 'a headline bout with political clout', it
will be UKIP versus Lib Dem as Jonathan Arnott faces Toby 'Slowby' White of the
Liberal Democrats, a veteran of two previous
contests.
The event is organised by the London Chessboxing Association. It involves
three minute rounds of chess followed by two minutes of boxing. Chess and boxing
rounds alternate until there is a winner. Competitors can either knock their
opponents out by checkmate on the board, or more fittingly by a knockout in the
boxing ring. If neither checkmate nor knockout occurs, then the end result of
the bout is determined by the judges' scorecards.
The UKIP hard-hitter is determined not to be out for the count in either
of the skills - which will challenge his abilities against the clock both in and
out of the ring. In a blow-by-blow account he makes it clear that in both
capacities as a talented chess player and a novice boxer he is aiming for a
knock-out.
“Nobody would ever have expected someone like me to take part in a boxing
match, so I'm hoping that will encourage plenty of people to donate to raise
money for this worthy charity. According to my sparring partners, I'm hard to
hit in the ring - just like in politics where my opponents struggle to lay a
glove on me. I pack a powerful punch, which will eventually break my opponent's
resolve.
“But I think I'll beat him at chess before I manage to knock him out in
the boxing ring, so I'm predicting that my knockout blow will come by checkmate
in the fifth round.” said Jonathan.
36-year-old Jonathan has previously competed in international chess
tournaments but has only relatively recently turned to sparring in the gym to
get fit. “It certainly makes a change from my regular travels to Brussels and
Strasbourg representing my North East constituents - which is a challenge of a
different sort.
“These chessboxing events usually attract about 750 people but
fortunately I am used to appearing in front of large audiences, and if it raises
money for charity then it will definitely be worth it. With just a few weeks to
go until the event, I'll definitely be stepping up my training regime to make
sure I'm in great shape." said Jonathan, who is also UKIP’s General Secretary
and Constitutional Affairs spokesman.
As well as chess he is a talented player of the board game Stratego and
has represented Great Britain at the game's World
Championships.
The bout will headline the "Pity the Fool" bill on April 1st at London's
York Hall, but Jonathan is adamant that this is no joke. "I want to make a
difference for a fantastic charity, and what better way than
this?
“Playing chess is a great way to train your mind, and boxing is not only
fantastic for fitness but so many young people's lives are changed for the
better by the disciplined training that it offers."
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1. Further details of the bout
and undercard are available at http://londonchessboxing.co
4. For interview requests, please call Lynda Roughley on 07845 333764 or
Jonathan Arnott directly on 07732 857339.
5. For any television/filming requests, please contact promoter Tim
Woolgar directly on 07956 196780.
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