Gypsy Kids’ stars on being taught to fight aged FOUR and how they hope the show will stamp out bullying
IT'S pretty well known that learning to box is part of gypsy culture, but kids as little as FOUR are being taught the power of an upper cut.
Two such boys appear in Channel 5 show Gypsy Kids: Our Secret World, which started last week and told how many girls in the community leave school around the age of 11.
An upcoming episode features 11-year-old twins Abraham and Johnny, who have been fighting for years.
They started with kickboxing when they were very little, graduating to boxing clubs at the tender age of six.
"It’s about self-defence," Abraham told .
"When you’re older and you’re in a random place and you get some teenagers coming up to you and bullying you, you’ve got to be able to stick up for yourself."
"You’ve got to stand together and stand up for your rights.” Johnny added.
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"The travellers have taken over boxing. Tyson Fury beat (Wladimir) Klitschko… It’s in our culture."
They boys have a cousin called Jack-Jo who's eight and is just as big a fan of boxing.
The trio always look out for each other, and they've had to put their moves into practice in the past.
Jack-Jo was attacked by another boy when he was four, and his cousins came to his rescue.
"Abraham and Johnny came out with golf sticks and they were banging the back of his head," he recalled.
Abraham fears his cousin would have died if they hadn't intervened, as he was being choked.
The boys get bullied at school because they are gypsies, with other kids calling them names.
They hope the TV show will help people learn about their culture, with Abraham saying: "I think the show will help people learn more about who we are and stop being rude."
Gypsy Kids: Our Secret World airs on Channel 5 on Thursday September 8 at 9pm