Harrow Weald boxer Mitchell Smith said he was delighted to support the Kiyan Prince Foundation after £3000 was raised for the charity at an event he helped organise last weekend, writes Dev Trehan.

The 20-year-old Southern Area super-featherweight champion was the star attraction at the event which attracted over 150 people at Bushey Boxing Club on Sunday.

Smith performed a public workout with his trainer Jason Rowland during a programme of events which included a raffle, a sparring session from club members and a speech from Kiyan's father Mark Prince.

Mr Prince, a former champion boxer himself, set up the foundation to raise awareness of knife crime after 15-year-old Kiyan was fatally stabbed outside the gates of the London Academy school in Edgware in 2006.

Smith paid tribute to Mr Prince for using boxing as a way of inspiring young people.

"I feel honoured to be a part of something like this," said Smith. "What happened to Kiyan is really sad and Mark is doing such a great thing with the Kiyan Prince Foundation.

"I had a tough upbringing myself and boxing was a door that opened for me which has changed my life around.

"It was a pleasure getting in there and performing in front of a few people and raising a little bit of money for the foundation.

"Nothing would make me more happier than if we could do some more stuff together in the future.”

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Smith said he was pleased to help increase awareness of the foundation's work insisting the charity's contribution to society cannot be underestimated.

"It’s really important the fact that he is going round and helping kids and trying to educate them," Smith said.

"People need to understand that he is actually saving lives. Breaking it all down that’s what he is doing - he is saving lives.

"I’ve got big respect for Mark and I will follow him on his journey."

Kiyan, a talented young footballer at the QPR academy, died after intervening to try and stop fight.

Mr Prince said what happened to his son had left him devastated but explained his desire to set up the foundation stemmed from a determination to ensure something positive emerges from his own personal tragedy.

“I really appreciate everyone who has gone out of their way to come down here today,” he said.

“Things sometimes happen in life and people let it crush them and ruin them but you can choose to let traumatic events that have happened in your life make you.

“You can turn things around and let it build you and make you the great person god has planned you to be.

“I did not want to be ruined by what happened to me - I did not want to be a victim.

“I wanted to honour my son because he loved me and he said he was proud of me when he was alive.

“Although he is no longer alive on this earth I wanted to honour him by doing something even more when he is not here that he could be proud of.”

For more information about the Kiyan Prince Foundation visit: www.kiyan.org