Fight night raises cash for family of Soham man Daniel McGrath

Money raised at a charity boxing event has been given to the family of a young husband and father who died from cancer earlier this year.

Daniel McGrath, from Soham, was only 21 when he died from an extremely rare form of stomach cancer in Arthur Rank House hospice on June 10, leaving his wife Rebecca and their nine-month-old daughter Millie.

His family and friends had helped him tick off items on a bucket list of things he wanted to do before he died and he was able to meet his hero Steven Gerrard and go to a match at Anfield where he met current Liverpool star Mo Salah. He also rode pillion on a Harley Davidson motorcycle but sadly, ran out of time to do everything he had hoped.

It was Daniel’s friend Chris Hewitt, who boxes at Eddie Guest’s gym in Fordham, who came up with the idea of the fund-raising night and the event, attended at Innocence nightclub in Newmarket by by about 250 people raised more than £2,000.

Eddie’s Gym boxers taking part in the 10 bouts were: Chris Hewitt, Jamie Corner, Dameon Starmer, Callum Fogg, Adam Dyer, Mark Samuels, Josh Windsor, Jack Gilligan, Callum Bush, Jack Trow, Shaun Guest and George Newman.

“We were pleased to help,” said Eddie, who runs charity nights twice a year and has raised more than £50,000 for charity since starting the events eight years ago.

“We organised this extra night in a rush because we hoped Daniel would be able to attend but unfortunately that was not to be.”