A former Dundee gang member and his old rival have moved their brawling from the streets to the ring squaring up once a week at the boxing club they opened in the West End.
Growing up on opposite sides of town in the 1980s and 90s Emilio Places-Rey and Ian McLeish belonged to rival gangs and would only ever meet to fight in bloody street brawls.
Emilio said, “We hated each other. We were from rival gangs, he was from the Hilltown and I was from Whitfield Shams.
“Now we are friends but this would have been unthinkable before.”
Such was the bitter feuding between Dundee’s array of gangs that 10 of Emilio’s close friends died over the past two decades, the first when he was only 13.
Involved with the Whitfield Shams from an early age, Emilio was a successful boxer at school but threw away a potential sports career as he became more embroiled in the gang.
“I joined when I was probably about 13,” he said.
“It was one of those things you did when you grew up on the schemes. You had no choice.
“We were just like any other kids growing up.”
One of Emilio’s group died in a gang fight, another died in a crash after stealing a motorbike while others were the victims of drugs overdoses.
Emilio himself has a string of 40 convictions for assault and theft but when his father was diagnosed with cancer of the kidney last year he decided to put his former street-fighting skills to better use.
In October he recruited former rival Mr McLeish as a coach and formed the Westend Boys Amateur Boxing Club, which runs on a Saturday morning from 11am in Dundee West Church.
Emilio has also enlisted another sworn enemy from his past into the club.
While Emilio would not name him he said boxing has helped the old foe work through his own personal problems.Former worst enemy”I have had my worst enemy, a rival gang member for about 20 years, join the club,” he said.
“He was in a gang in Mid Craigie and we used to fight every day.
“Now we are friends.
“This would have been unthinkable before his younger brother died last year.”
Out of respect for his new friend, Emilio refused to elaborate on the circumstances of the brother’s death but he stressed the new club is a way for people of all ages, from all areas of the town to turn their backs on gangland spats and the Dundee drug culture.
“The club is open to everybody over the age of eight and it helps people,” he said.
“It focuses on boxing.
“I want to put something back into the community now.
“In the gang we were in fights but now I’m trying to teach kids and help them.”