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Marcellus Baz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 or 1976 (age 49–50)[1] The Meadows,Nottingham, England |
| Occupation(s) | Founder and CEO of Switch Up and Nottingham School of Boxing, Public Speaker |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Awards | British Empire Medal;BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award |
| Website | www |
Marcellus BazBEM heads charity-based organisations in Nottingham, offering community sports facilities together with outreach to, and mentoring of, young people. In 2016, Baz was named theBBC Get Inspired Unsung Hero at theBBC Sports Personality of the Year awards for his support of young people in Nottingham, UK. He received theBritish Empire Medal (BEM) in the2017 New Year Honours for services to youth boxing and the community in Nottingham.[2]
Baz has been interviewed about youth violence,[3] knife crime,[4] and UK drug culture.[5][6] He also completed a TEDxYouth talk in 2018 entitled Your Tribe is Your Vibe.[7]
Baz was born and raised in The Meadows, Nottingham. As a youth he spent a lot of his time on the streets and soon turned to selling drugs and carrying weapons.[6] He took up boxing at a leisure centre, however hand injuries from a knife attack ended his chance at a boxing career.[6]
Baz registered the Nottingham School of Boxing as aCharitable Incorporated Organisation in September 2014.[8] It is the sister organisation of Switch Up,[9] aCommunity interest company that uses its profits to facilitate sport, mentoring, counselling, education and to deliver outreach services to young people in Nottinghamshire.
In February 2022,[10] Baz established links withMansfield District Council to take over a former community sports hall as a boxing gym.[11]