Horsham Amateur Boxing Club has lost its inspirational head coach John Essex who died on 29 May 2026 after a long and brave battle with cancer. John was a true fighter who fought to the very end and was a huge inspiration to everyone who knew him. He gave decades of his life to the sport he loved. Horsham Amateur Boxing Club was founded over 40 years ago and John quickly became the driving force, eventually becoming head coach. Over the subsequent decades he helped many hundreds of young people to discover this great sport and to learn the life lessons it has to teach. He guided many of these young boxers, including his own son Danny, to great achievements in boxing. Just as importantly, in his quietly spoken and humble way, he guided generations of young people away from trouble and into lives of self-discipline, hard work and service. John's legacy lives on in his son Danny and in the beloved club he gave such dedication to during his life. The club is now so successful it is rapidly outgrowing its gym located in Horsham Park. The club has already secured planning permission and the services of a local builder and some initial funding to help deliver a much needed new extension to the current premises. This extension will secure the club's future and enable many more young people to benefit from John's legacy. However, the club is still some way short of having enough money to complete the project. John's family would like to invite those interested who wish to pay tribute to John, to donate to this GoFundMe fund in his memory to help realise his dream and get the extension built as soon as possible.