Shay Walsh's Story Goes Beyond MMA
Author: Ross Chapman, Presenter at Beyond Radio
My role as the presenter of the ‘Saturday Sport Show’ on North Lancashire’s community radio station Beyond Radio gives me the opportunity to speak to and find out more about, so many interesting and inspiring sportspeople, but Beyond The Cage’s documentary about Shay Walsh was something else.
It was incredibly heartwarming and humbling to be invited to the screening of ‘A Journey To Greatness: The Untold Story of Shay Walsh’ last month at The Reel Cinema in Morecambe. It was such an honour to see Shay’s story in depth and see how much he’s positively impacted others.
How the opportunity came about is a story in itself.
About six months ago I became aware of a local MMA prodigy: Charlie Ash. He came onto the Saturday Sport Show a week or two after winning his fourth MMA fight.
Charlie has big things ahead of him: that record is now 6-0 and he’s now devoting all the time he can to the sport he loves, and it’s great to see. It’s fantastic that Beyond The Cage will now be with him every step of the way too.
In July, Charlie messaged me about ‘The Great Reopening’ of the Shay Walsh MMA Gym and the fact that UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski would be in attendance. He said that both he and Shay would try their best to get me and my co-host, Alistair, a quick chat with him for the sports show. There was, I thought, absolutely no way that a legend of the sport would give up even 30 seconds of his time to speak to us…
Well, it ended up being seven minutes, and those seven minutes are the ones I’m the most proud of in my time in the sports media industry so far. You wouldn’t think Volk was a six-time UFC champion because he’s just so down to earth and will give his time to anyone.
I’m incredibly grateful to Charlie and Shay for helping me and Alistair on the day - and what a day it was. It was so good to see the new-look gym abuzz with hundreds of people trying out the new equipment, gaining tips from Volkanovski and just being part of an amazing event. It was a pleasure to be a small part of such a huge day for local sport.
Also on that day, I met Shay for the first time. It was a brief chat for the radio but in that short period, I really began to understand why Shay’s gym - and the man himself - are so popular. He’s an amazing character and the work he’s put in to get the gym to where it is now is incredible. It won’t be long before the gym - and those who fight out of it - are household names.
Fast forward three months and, once again, I got to be part of something really special. The documentary at the Reel Cinema was one of the most inspiring things I’ve watched, and I’m not ashamed to say I shed a tear. It’s incredible how Shay picked himself up at low points in his career and turned it into something that wouldn’t just benefit him, but initially dozens - and now hundreds - of people.
From the documentary, it’s so clear to see the dedication and commitment that Shay has towards his gym and how that transfers to his members. It was rather fitting that in the days after the screening, four of the gym’s most talented fighters - Charlie Ash, Laurence Charnock, Paige Billington and Zak Sands - were all victorious in events at the Barnsley Metrodome. That week must have delivered quite the payoff for all that hard work.
All in all, the screening was an emotional and memorable event which, without a doubt, is one of the best experiences in my time at Beyond Radio.
The evening served as a great starting point for Beyond The Cage’s next chapter and, to conclude this piece, I’d like to give a big shoutout to Robbie Wells and Zak Sylvester, the men behind the documentary.
I have known Robbie and Zak for just a short time but they have been so supportive of myself and Beyond Radio - it was a pleasure to have them on the Saturday Sport Show a few weeks ago to talk about the making of the documentary, future plans and much more. I look forward to having them on the show again very soon and I am so grateful to them for inviting me to the screening. I can’t wait to see what Beyond The Cage have planned next and will help in any way I can.
Thank you to Ross Chapman for sharing such kind words and thoughtful reflections after watching “A Journey To Greatness: The Untold Story of Shay Walsh”.
