'A miracle' Young boxing champion's fight with ADHD and autism inspires new film

"A powerful and uplifting, triumph-over-adversity story... this sport transforms lives"

- Dalya Alberge

He was an unbeaten professional boxer for three years until financial and mental health struggles forced him to retire, but Billy Long Sr went on to punch well above his weight in saving disadvantaged youths with mentoring that has now inspired one of Britain's up-and-coming film-makers and directors.

When his son, Billy Long Jr, was facing the challenges of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bullies linked to local gangs, Long Sr feared the worst. He decided to protect his son by home schooling him and created a boxing gym in a garden shed on a council estate in Chelmsford, Essex.

It was barely bigger than a portable building but, in that space, Long Sr coached Billy. After three years of training, he watched him become the junior national boxing champion before being picked to represent England, and guided him with the England coaches to win at the European Junior Boxing Championships in Bosnia in 2024.

Not only did Billy win gold, but he made history by never losing a single round, which is considered extraordinary. Perhaps his greatest fight, however, was showing that autism can be a "superpower" rather than something "negative", his father says.

Long Sr's coaching began attracting local youths, inspiring them to stay away from juvenile delinquency, drugs and knife crime. He opened Longs ABC, a club with three rings on a small industrial estate, and has created a boxing powerhouse that has produced four national champions, including two female ones.