![Glen Jennings and Brent Walton at Fight Life Centre in Thornton on Wednesday. Picture by Simone De Peak Glen Jennings and Brent Walton at Fight Life Centre in Thornton on Wednesday. Picture by Simone De Peak](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/max.mckinney/be60629f-fe90-4e0d-9a64-1c265b087d6b.jpg/r0_0_6000_4000_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Glen Jennings has been part of boxing events on the world stage.
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At the T-Mobile Arena and multiple casinos in Las Vegas, Manchester Arena and stadiums across Australia.
As Tim and Nikita Tszyu's manager, and having previously guided their father Kostya through his career, he's seen it all in boxing.
But he's also witnessed, and even more so after semi-retiring from other business interests and taking on more fighters, the other end of the sport.
Fights held on bowling greens, footy fields and as temporary setups in a whole range of buildings generally more accustomed to hosting bingo than boxing.
So with an industrial shed he previously stored some of his classic cars in, Jennings recently decided to create the Fight Life Centre - a venue dedicated to hosting boxing events.
The former warehouse in Thornton has been converted into a fighters' haven.
Pictures and memorabilia from Jennings' time with the Tszyus adorn the walls, there's an Olympic boxing ring, fighter and spectator facilities and capacity for about 500 people to attend.
![Brent Walton and Glen Jennings with some of the memorabilia at the Fight Life Centre. Picture by Simone De Peak Brent Walton and Glen Jennings with some of the memorabilia at the Fight Life Centre. Picture by Simone De Peak](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/max.mckinney/876852eb-d1bd-433e-b0ea-020da96233a3.jpg/r0_0_5910_4000_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"The Fight Life Centre is a bit of a spin-off from Fight Life Management, me managing my professional fighters," Jennings said at the venue on Wednesday.
"There was a bit of a void in the pathway to the pros for the younger kids to have somewhere special to fight.
"I've been to some recent shows and they were outdoors, and really tough because of the weather.
"I had this shed and it was empty, so I got together with Nathan Swadling from BoxCamp and said: 'Would you want to do your shows here if I build a really nice venue?'.
"They jumped at it and it's really taken off.
"It gives a grassroots, community boxing facility in Newcastle we've never had.
"It's not a gym, you can't train here, it's purely set up for fights. It's somewhere for the kids, and the amateurs and the pros, to shine."
Jennings, a lifelong Novocastrian who remains living in the Hunter, hopes the venue will help inspire fighters, juniors particularly, to stick with boxing.
![Brent Walton. Picture by Simone De Peak Brent Walton. Picture by Simone De Peak](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/max.mckinney/5fefb3d9-30ce-403d-bd44-723f6d665b63.jpg/r0_0_5754_3856_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Fight Life Centre hosts its first card on Saturday. Three fighters from the Gateshead-based BoxCamp gym are having pro bouts. There's also 12 amateur fights.
Novocastrian Brent Walton, who fought on the undercard of Nikita Tszyu's most recent fight in Newcastle last November, headlines the inaugural event.
The welterweight has a pro record of two wins, one loss. He faces experienced Indonesian Waldo Sabu, who has a 14-15 record.
Limited tickets remain for the event and can be purchased via BoxCamp.