Former world boxing champion Johnny Nelson gives ‘inspirational’ talk in Batley

Johnny Nelson MBE, the longest reigning cruiserweight world champion of all time, held his ‘Find A Way: From Written Off to Top of the World’ motivational speech at Batley Town Hall on Wednesday, July 22.

Organised by Batley Entrepreneurship Club, the talk included personal stories about his journey, as well as his current focus of a children’s care home, Cynthia Care, for which he is raising donations for.

The event was attended by over 100 entrepreneurs, business owners, investors, professionals and students from both locally and nationally, allowing the opportunity for networking before and after the main speech.

A spokesperson for Batley Entrepreneurship Club said: “Small towns like Batley are often written off and the general outlook in the UK has a lot of negativity, but using Johnny’s story, you can find a way and you can make it despite the circumstances.

“Johnny’s career started off by losing his initial fights, but he continued to eventually become the longest cruiserweight champion. He is now a UK icon, and very well respected as a Sky Sports pundit and motivational speaker.

“The speech contained a lot of inspiration and motivation not just for business and career life, but for life in general as well.”

Batley Entrepreneurship Club also gave an opportunity to local entrepreneurs starting new ventures to speak on stage for the first time, to promote their start-ups and improve their communication skills.

The club was formed just over a year ago with the aim of encouraging more entrepreneurial spirit, especially within the younger generation, by bringing high calibre, successful people - and now celebrities - to Batley for motivational and inspiring talks.