Dean Sugden: Fighting through a global pandemic

For the second instalment in our 'My COVID-19' series, local gym owner and former champion kickboxer, Dean Sugden, shares with us how he's keeping himself and his fighters in top form through lockdown.

“Hiya darlin’, are you alright?” a friendly voice wrapped up in a chuckle warms the room and a familiar face grins at me over a video call. It’s a face that’s familiar not because we’ve ever met, but because former world champion kickboxer and ‘Suggy’s Gym’ owner, Dean Sugden, is a local legend in our town. 

He’s a man whose reputation had me approach him nervously, but whose sweet demeanour and kind eyes soften the blow. Bagging the Undisputed British Title aged 22 and collecting fighting experience for over 30-years, he has an impressive history that sticks out in our small town. And yet, when asked of his achievements he offers a shrug of his shoulders that shakes off any kind of arrogance or self-indulgence you might expect from a man of his achievements and smiles, telling me: “The gym just didn’t have a flag bearer, we needed a serious fighter out there.” So, off he went and became a world champion. 

Newark has a talent for raising these kind of fighting legends, with many of our athletes carrying titles of all kinds. A chunk of these fighters are the descendants of Dean himself, it’s unbelievably so that all three of his sons bare such a talent inside the ring. In fact, as lockdown hit and closed down Suggy’s Gym for what is now verging on the eighth week - his son, Chad ‘2 Slick’ Sugden, was two weeks away from fighting for the British Light Heavyweight Champion title. 

Lucky for Chad, he’s at home with his Dad who just happens to be his trainer, and they’re not taking any chances. “Without having something to focus on it’s difficult, any boxer will tell you the same. The grind of training is so tough, and you have to be smart with it,” Dean tells me, as he reassures me that he’s got Chad working at a happy medium that will keep him in top form but prevent a complete burn out. Instead of revving the engines of his athletes at the starting line as they wait for the green light to flash on, he has them parked up nicely and is polishing them up, helping them to be in top condition once the race to a fight begins again. 

For Dean, he’s encouraging his athletes to be consistent and focus on the other areas of training that don’t always receive as much attention. “I’ve told all my fighters to really study the others in their category and use this time to get better. Study how they train and how they eat and take this as an opportunity to grow,” he shares, hinting at an outlook of resilience that’s only built upon the more we speak. It’s inspiring to hear Dean speak of how he’s utilising this time, seeing it as a time to improve and work on things we wouldn’t usually have time to do. It’s an outlook most could benefit from, he’s truly a man with a glass half-full and he’s willing to let all of us take a sip. 

For somebody who works closely with different people each day, adapting to a new way of working during social distancing and lockdown has been challenging. As I ask Dean about how his work is continuing, a memory triggers in my mind and I realise why I had his face so fresh in my mind. It was Dean I had been spotting on my Facebook newsfeed each morning, hosting a free home workout session for anyone that wants to join. “From day one I felt a little bit concerned that the gyms closing would mean people wouldn’t be taking care of themselves, by eating well and exercising, which is what your immune system needs to stay healthy and fight a virus. I decided to make a commitment to half an hour a day of online training to keep everybody healthy,” Dean shares, sitting back in his chair with a shrug. It’s incredible to see how quickly he has adapted, with the catalyst behind his new project being completely selfless. He’s a man offering so much to his community strong, even reassuring me that as he bikes to the gym to film these sessions, he makes sure to greet everybody he passes. 

When asked about one to one training, Dean offers me a sheepish smile. I’ve learnt now, that this expression means he’s about to share another act of kindness that he’s been performing in silence, and he doesn’t disappoint. “I’ve got a mate who’s in a wheelchair and he’s just started and wanted to keep his form. It’s been hard because he’s paralysed from the waist down and I really need to see what he’s doing. There are a few people like him who I’ve just been helping out for free, because they’ve been supportive of the gym in the past and they’ve reached out in need of some guidance,” he settles back in his chair again and is silent for a second, then adds: “I’ve not advertised that I’ve been doing it, but it does make me feel good to help.” It’s apparent that Dean is a man who offers a lot behind the scenes, and this period of uncertainty and fear has given him a platform to really help others out. You might have to push slightly to hear the full story, but for the heart-warming snippets of what he’s been up to while most of us have just been existing, it’s worth the effort. 

For a man that’s doing so much for others, it’s comforting to hear that he’s still taking some time for himself. Turning 52 in lockdown, he reassures me that he took the time to treat himself to a curry takeaway on his big day. Even still, it seems that for Dean he can never stop for long and what he finds most rewarding is his work. “Sometimes we’re so busy and so involved in one thing that we don’t take the time to step back and reflect,” Dean says, a passing comment that didn’t seem to be an attempt at sounding profound. The comment holds so much importance for our current world. We could all do a Dean and utilise this time as a backwards blessing, allowing us to focus on the things that we usually wouldn’t have time to. He adds: “I’m a very competitive person and right now the world’s stopped, and I keep thinking to myself I’ll never have this time again. It’s made me sit back and take note of things we could do better.” It seems that Dean is using this time as a head start, grafting to always keep ahead of the competition. 

As whispers begin to circulate that the world is on track to reopening, Dean and his team have had to consider a new ‘normal.’ Of the pandemic, it seems Suggy’s Gym took the threat seriously from the get-go. “We started laying down guidelines in the gym before the government, we had people wash and sanitise their hands before coming in and made having your own towel compulsory. As things got more serious, we decided to have a gap between classes so we could disinfect all the equipment,” he says in the most solemn tone I’ve heard him adopt so far. He shares in detail the thoughts he has of maintaining distancing, intricate measurements of how many clients can fit in each area and what they’ve done to utilise the outdoor space. It’s an example again of how Dean seems to be always a few steps ahead, assessing the situation and planning his next move so to never be unprepared. 

A ‘low battery’ notification obscured Dean’s face on my screen and I realise now that we’ve been chatting for over an hour. As we exchange our goodbyes, I ask him what his plans are for when lockdown is finally lifted. “Ideally, I’d like to deliver Chad to Coventry and win that British title,” he answers with passion, keeping his fighting spirit strong and never wavering for a second. Then, after a moment, he adds: “Hugs. I want to hug my Mum and Dad.” A closing comment that confirms every assumption I had made so far, Dean Sugden is as soft as he is tough and there’s no better man to keep the motivations of Newark high during this strange time.