Boxing gym trainer steps up anti-knife crime campaign after the death of one of his fighters
A boxing trainer and knife crime campaigner has told of his grief and anger after one of his fighters was stabbed to death.
David Gavin was killed when he was stabbed in the neck during a 20-minute street brawl in Rochdale on Friday night.
The 23-year-old died just two days before his wife Bridget, 22, was due to give birth to their second daughter.
The baby is yet to be born.
David, a landscape gardener from Rochdale, trained at Oldham Boxing and Personal Development Centre under former pro fighter and youth worker Eric Noi.
He'd been going to the town centre gym for about 12 months alongside his three younger brothers and was about to start fighting competitively.
Last night the gym rang a 10 bell salute in his memory - a traditional honour given to a fighter who has died.
Moss Side-born Eric said: "It's hit everyone at the gym hard. David was a popular guy. He would talk to everybody.
"David would come straight from work to train. We used to talk a lot about motivation because he would be up at 5am for work then he'd be in here training.
"He was a hard-working family guy. That was his life."
David was killed during a fight, on Berwick Street, off Milnrow Road, just before 9pm on Friday.
It is believed the brawl lasted for around 20 minutes before police were called. David was knifed in the neck and later died in hospital.
A 25-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder and assault and has since been released pending further enquiries.