By Nadia Breen

Copyright belfastlive

A NI man has stepped into the boxing ring to raise money for a cancer charity after his aunt was diagnosed with an incurable form of the disease. Steve Jones, 40, from Lisburn took part in an Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB) event at Europa Hotel in Belfast, to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. His decision to fight was inspired by several events in his life, one of which was when his aunt Doreen Jones was diagnosed with incurable myeloma, a type of blood cancer, in December 2024. Steve said: “I wanted to do something meaningful to support my family and to give back to an organisation, Macmillan Cancer Support, that helps people in situations like ours.” He says his two children, Toby and Grace, were also a huge source of inspiration for pulling on the boxing gloves for the first time. Steve explained: “I also wanted to do something to make my children proud and to be a good role model to them.” Boxing also presented a new personal health challenge for Steve. Setting out with the goal to build strength and shed weight, he lost a stone during the course of his training. A statement said: “Participants like Steve are given the opportunity to take part in eight weeks of free professional boxing training at gyms, before a showcase event in front of hundreds of spectators. “Steve trained at IFS MMA Gym under the guidance of respected Belfast coach Adam Gustab.” Talking about the experience, Steve told: “The training was an incredibly positive and rewarding experience. I loved the structured, methodical approach – you set clear goals and see yourself improve every session, especially in areas like upper body strength. “I also lost 6kg in the process. I became a lot more agile, my body felt firmer, and my clothes became much looser.” On the night of the contest, Steve was supported at the venue by his close friends. Steve’s aunt, uncle, cousins and wider family and friends also tuned in via livestream. “My entrance song was an edited mix of Levels by Avicii and my children and I’s song, Giant by Rag n Bone man. Added into this was my children speaking words of encouragement to me such as ‘Go on Daddy, you can do this,’ and ‘We love you Daddy, you’re our hero”, Steve said. He added: “We all had to choose a nickname for the night which was printed on our vests. I went for Ste ‘The Lionheart’ Jones after asking a few close friends, who suggested the name would be suitable due to my passion for life and things I care for.” Steve’s bout saw him secure a win by unanimous decision. Talking about the night, Steve said: “It was just an amazing experience – from our Coach Adam Gustab to those in the corner and all who came to support. It was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. “It was a good contest. One of the pieces of advice I was given was to press in on my opponent. From the outset I did that and had him on the ropes several times each round, and was awarded the victory by unanimously winning all three rounds.. I felt proud of that – I’d trained really hard so it was great to get the win. “More than that, I enjoyed the whole journey – from training and meeting new people, who I now call friends, to becoming a better, healthier, and more well-rounded person by learning new skills and disciplines.” Steve’s aunt is still undergoing treatment to help manage her diagnosis. Steve said: “My auntie and family were very proud of me for stepping into the ring, and they were really grateful for the support I showed by doing it in recognition of the fight she was facing on a personal level.” Participants are asked to raise at least £50 for their chosen charity – with the Lisburn man collecting around £500 for Macmillan Cancer Support. He said: “Macmillan were brilliant and got behind my fundraising. It felt great to be able to do something for them after all the support they have given us.” A statement added: “So far, Ultra Events – the company behind the UWCB events – has raised £41 million for charity – with nearly half a million of which has been raised in Belfast. “The next UWCB event in Belfast takes place on 30 November, with training beginning 6 October. More information can be found here .” For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our Be lifestyle newsletter for all the latest showbiz, fashion, beauty, family features and more.