After a very successful amateur career, ten years ago Robert formed Spennymoor Boxing Academy with the help of secretary Paul Hodgson.

The club rose out of the ashes of Spennymoor ABC which split up at this time.

He immediately pledged to run the club on discipline, good coaching with an aim to get the kids off the streets and learn them the noble art of boxing. He also wanted the club to nurture champions, and he aimed to see SBA appear on bills around the world. All of these aims have been met in the club's first decade.

Within a year of taking the reins Robert had his first ABA champion in the form of super heavyweight Michael Hopper.

Hopper staged a Cinderella story when he took the coveted ABA title at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992 at a time when he was not in the top ten rankings. This was a great feat for Ellis, Hopper and the club.

Since then Robert has managed to bring top class dinner shows to the town's top venue, the Leisure Centre Arena, featuring teams from Canada, Scotland, Liverpool and London.

The shows have become renowned for their big-time atmosphere with 500-seat sell-outs and while, it could be said, they are organised better than some professional tournaments and most of all, the club's boys love boxing on these nights.

Robert has taken his team of Spennymoor's finest to Canada (twice) and New Zealand with teams from the club regularly boxing all over Britain including. Dublin, Scotland and Wales have all played host to SBA, making the the club famous throughout the world.

The boxers's unique strip is half red and white stripes, and half black and white; a compromise caused by the support in Spennymoor of both Sunderland and Newcastle football clubs.

Robert's latest venture is to take his squad to Chicago in November to box Chicago's finest. Robert and his wife Diane spent hours on the internet, finding potential opponents. So he was delighted when the Chicago Golden Gloves boxing team invited SBA to box on November 30.

The club is busy fundraising and all systems are go for a transatlantic tour. The return visit will take place in the new year.

Robert, helped closely by his right-hand man Paul Hodgson and his coaching team, has built up a fine amateur boxing club - bringing pride to Spennymoor and the region.

The visit to Chicago tops a very memorable ten years for Spennymoor Boxing Academy - the club that Robbie built, and there is sure to be at least another ten years to come.