A FORMER boxer from Rhoose who was forced to retire through injury has begun using his life experiences to mentor young people in the construction industry.
Jay Munn, 26, known as the ‘Rhoose Rhino’, retired from boxing in June 2023 having won all nine of his professional fights, mainly in the super welterweight division.
The beginning of the end of Jay’s career in the ring came during the build-up to his points victory over Richard Helm at the Vale Sports Arena in June 2022. Jay said: “I’d been diagnosed with a hematoma head injury, it’d been there eight to ten weeks prior to the fight, and it was totally reckless of me to continue with my preparation for it, let alone still do the fight itself.
“My hair started falling out as a result of the hematoma, I was going in the sauna and starving myself to make the fight weight.
“It’d been said to me that if I performed well against Richard, I’d be in line for a WBC Continental title, which would’ve been a wonderful opportunity and a big step up.
“I also billed myself as the people’s champion, I didn’t want to let my fans down by pulling out of it.
“But the fight was a disaster. Richard caught me on my hematoma in the second round, and I was way below my best for the rest of the six-round contest.”
His manager, the former middleweight world title challenger Gary Lockett, read him the riot act after finding out he had taken a dangerous risk by fighting while suffering from a blood clot, and Jay says that looking back, he realises he had been foolish: “Boxing is a dangerous enough business even if you’re healthy, but taking risks like I did was really stupid.
“People older than me will remember the terrible injuries Michael Watson and Gerald McClellan sustained during the 1990s. More recently, Nick Blackwell was seriously injured during a fight against Chris Eubank Jr.
“Nick’s a friend of mine and we’ve both been trained by Gary [Lockett], but the injuries he sustained had lifechanging consequences. After seeing what happened to Nick, I should’ve known better than to take such a perilous risk,” he said.
Crushed vertebrae
Two weeks after the fight, Jay collapsed outside the gym with severe back pain. After a difficult weekend at home, he went to his day job on the Monday morning working for Valco, a scaffolding company co-owned by his father. When Jay went to open the van his legs gave way, and medics diagnosed that the L4 and L5 discs in his vertebrae were crushed.
Jay took time off work to recover from his injuries, and during a period of indolence, he struggled with his mental health: “When I collapsed while opening the van, I’d never known pain like it in my life, it was absolutely horrendous.
“In the months after that, I was feeling very down and depressed, and I was sat at home with lots of time to think.
“Looking back, I was very lonely. Prior to that episode, I didn’t really believe in depression or stuff like that, I thought it was stupid, but what I experienced was very real and it gave me a different perspective on life.
“It was only when I came out of the other side that I realised what I’d been through and just how unwell I’d been. I looked back and thought wow, that really happened, it was a massive reality check,” he said.
Time to step away
Nevertheless, Jay had one more fight at the iconic York Hall, Bethnal Green in June 2023, where he defeated Serge Ambomo from Cameroon on points after six rounds, but he knew the time had come to step away from boxing.
Jay focused on the scaffolding company and told his father he wanted a fuller role in the business, to which he agreed, and in the months that followed, Jay made a series of changes and updated the logo to give the company a more contemporary look.
Having been through many ups and downs during his life, Jay now wants to use his experiences to provide mentoring, guidance and work opportunities to young people in the scaffolding and construction industries. He said: “I knew I had to ditch the boxing, it was driving me a little bit mad, and something was definitely telling me to stop.
“I’ve been through a lot in my life, I know what it’s like to fall in with the wrong crowd, to have mental health struggles and to get into bad habits.
“It’s important not to try and second-guess what’s going on in people’s heads. I was really shocked when Ricky Hatton died a few weeks ago. I saw him give a talk in Cardiff last year and he seemed on great form, but we know he’s had his demons.
“But I also know what it’s like to be a part of a team, to have the self-discipline to prepare properly for fights in terms of training, fitness and diet, and importantly, I know about learning from mistakes.
“I want to take what I’ve learned and use it to improve the lives of young people in the area.”
Jay says that he is particularly looking to provide opportunities to young adults who lack direction in life or need a second chance after making mistakes: “I’m offering young people guidance, training, routine, self-discipline, structure in their lives, and the chance to earn money.
“A lot of young adults don’t have positive male role models, and that can cause all kinds of problems.
“There’s a lot of carrot and stick in what I’m trying to do. People who take this opportunity will be expected to turn up on time for work, put in an honest shift and keep their noses clean, but I’m also here to listen to them, and to help them with their problems.
“I want to guide them to get to where they want to be in life, whether that be doing courses to upskill, obtain NVQs, learn to drive or be part of a team.
“Not everyone I mentor will be working for Valco in scaffolding, it might not be the sort of work they’re looking for, and we may already have all the staff we can realistically take on at any given time, but I have contacts in various trades who I can put them in touch with, and I’ll still be there to guide them.”
Mentoring gives new purpose
Jay says that mentoring young people has given his life new purpose following his retirement from boxing: “In a sense, I feel as though everything I’ve gone through in life has led to this point. It’s definitely a case for me of ‘when one door closes, another one opens.’
“There’s another saying we’ve all heard, and this is for the people I’ll be mentoring, ‘you can take a camel to water, but you can’t make it drink’.
“I can provide people with the chance they need, be a mentor and confidante to them, and show them a bit of tough love when it’s needed, but ultimately the ball is in their court. They’ve got to want to seize their opportunity and make the most of it,” he said.
Young adults interested in being mentored by Jay can contact him by calling: 07506 090995.
All photographs supplied by Jay Munn.
By Marcus Stead – News Reporter
News, Letters, Sport and advertising are welcomed by the Glamorgan Star – the largest newspaper or magazine in the Vale of Glamorgan. Contact us today here.
- Sofia so good for Barry’s Alfie
- Sports club’s lost weekend due to travelling community
- Rabbit runners take on a Merthyr Mawr challenge
⭐ All of our social media in one handy place – here
Pencoed tangled up by ‘Seaweeds’
Primary school’s former deputy head is banned from teaching
I make no apologies for calling Plaid Cymru ‘separatists’
‘The importance of participation and continued learning’
Opposition leaders clash with First Minister over independence rally
How Kevin saved a stranger’s life
