Former boxer is left devastated as Walsall gym and trophies go up in flames
A former professional boxer from Walsall watched in horror as his personal gym burned to the ground, destroying 90 trophies and awards from his 11-year career.
Former British lightweight contender Peter Till had to call firefighters out to his home in Halford Crescent on Saturday evening. He had been burning small items of furniture when flames spread to his outdoor gym.
The blaze, which took hold of the outbuilding at around 7.30pm, destroyed boxing memorabilia and trophies from Till's career spanning from 1985 to 1996.
A signed picture of World Boxing Association featherweight champion Barry McGuigan – a friend and sparring partner of Till's – was among the items lost in the fire, as well as thousands of pounds worth of training equipment.
"I'm just absolutely gutted," said the father-of-two.
"The thing I'm most upset about losing is a trophy I won on September 21, 1991. It was a fight at White Hart Lane – where Tottenham Hotspur play – where I was in the support fight before the fight between Michael Watson and Chris Eubank."
Till, aged 49, who won 30 of his 52 professional fights and is a former Midlands area lightweight champion, said he was burning some small items of furniture around a foot-and-a-half away from the metal-corrugated shed, ready with a hosepipe should anything to go wrong. He turned his back for a matter of seconds and the outbuilding had caught fire.
Firefighters from Walsall station today confirmed the fire may have been started by sparks flying up into the outbuilding through a gap at the bottom of the structure between the insulation panels and the inside of the shed.
"I didn't start the fire carelessly, I'm a careful person. I want people to know just how quickly these things can happen," Mr Till said.
The blaze destroyed thousands of pounds worth of gym equipment.
"It would be stupid to try and value it all," added Till.
