A MARTIAL arts equipment business in Newport which has had to move premises due to an increase in demand is trying to give back to the community.

RingMaster UK, in Skinner Street, in the city centre, sells all sorts of equipment, from gloves to protective gear for fighting.

Owner Shahbaz Hussain said they are now using the premises in Harrow Road, where they used to be based, as a warehouse.

The 44-year-old said: “We are the only shop of this kind in Wales.

“We sell gloves and all sorts of protective gear for fighting, for example.

“Martial arts are becoming very popular as people are using them to keep fit, rather than to become a boxer. Martial arts are a very good way of keeping fit.”

Mr Hussain, from the Maindee area of the city, said martial arts can also help people “stay out of trouble” and help them become “responsible citizens”.

“Look at Anthony Joshua, he was a street boy – boxing changed his life,” he said.

The store sponsors all the boxing gyms in Newport, giving them items such as punching bags for a reduced price, Mr Hussain said.

“Last Saturday, we sponsored the charity boxing event at the Neon – it was a charity show for Roxi Cox,” he added. “They auctioned some gloves signed by Lee Selby and they sold for £550, which is very good.”

Roxi Cox underwent a leg amputation last year and is now fundraising for an operation which could save her life, after an endless battle with tumours.

The mum-of-two was diagnosed with a condition called peripheral arteriovenous malformation which causes tumours to grow between her arteries and veins, and spread.

Mr Hussain the store also does a lot of work with Help for Heroes. Last year, they sponsored all their boxing events - supplying the gloves, for example – which raised more than £100,000 in total.

Mr Hussain, who has had run the business since 2013, said he has a collection of around 20 to 30 signed boxing gloves – including Anthony Joshua and Joe Calzaghe.