LEONIS ABC are struggling for survival after being told that they are no longer wanted at the Royal Hotel, venue for their bouts against mainland opposition for the last three years.

Despite signing new contracts with the hotel for six tournaments this coming season, the first one on 15 October, Leonis coach, Dave Thompson, has been told that boxing is no longer wanted at the David Place hotel.

‘I signed all of the contracts in July, although the bottom line is that there is a clause which states they can cancel them all if they want to,’ Thompson said last night.

‘I’ve been dealing with James O’Neill, one of the managers the new company has retained, and he has been very sympathetic.

‘But I’d arranged to bring a party of 16 from Manchester to fly to Jersey via Birmingham for our first contest, at the Royal Hotel, on 15 October.

I paid for it on 3 September, then on 13th had a letter dated the 10th to say that the new management didn’t want boxing at the Royal Hotel.

‘I’ve spoken to James several times since then, and also to Crills, their lawyers, saying that if they’d just let me have this first contest at the Royal, I’ll walk away from it after that.

‘It’s cost me £1,720 in airfares to bring them over here, but I’ve been told that they don’t want us at their hotel.

‘No reason was given, but the letter reads: ‘It is with regret that I must inform you that at the instruction of the board of directors I must cancel all boxing functions booked for 2005/200 season .

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Please accept my apologies in regards to this matter, should you require any help in finding an alternative venue, please do not hesitate to contact me.’ ‘In other words, I’ve 19 boxers, plus one junior and one schoolboy who’ve got nowhere to fight.

‘Flybe have been brilliant, saying they will allow me to move the tickets to another date, but there aren’t many hotels in town who can accommodate both the ring and the number of spectators we need to bring in.

‘If they’d just allowed me to hold the first contest, it would have given me breathing space.

If the worst comes to the worst I’ll have to take some of the boys over to England to box, but it isn’t that simple any more.

The kids are disappointed, but I see it as my job to keep boxing alive.

‘After 40 years of coaching boxing in this Island, I’m not going to give it up yet.

If they knock me down, I’ll get straight back up again.’ Before taking his Leonis-UK bouts to the Royal Hotel, Thompson used Fort Regent, and he needs space for at least ’350-400′ spectators, preferably in town, if the club are to host bouts against mainland opposition.

Leonis also have an enviable record of more wins than defeats in the last ten years.