The mayor of London has joked that he could “catch” Boris Johnson in a fight after he was invited to face off with the former prime minister during a visit to a boxing gym.<\/p>\n Sadiq Khan was asked to challenge the former mayor when he met young people at the community project Box Up Crime in Ilford, east London, on Thursday.<\/p>\n “I was able to get him,” Mr. Khan said, causing a room-filling laughter.<\/p>\n “He (Mr Johnson) had a future,” he added.<\/p>\n The mayor was visiting a box-up crime plot with London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, who had been invited to organize “security” for the proposed match.<\/p>\n The commissioner and Mr. Khan attended the gym to learn how to help the youth of the area by providing training, support and guidance.<\/p>\n The project was founded by Stephen Addison BEM in 2013 as a way to provide alternatives to crime-vulnerable youth.<\/p>\n It was launched with the help of Jas Athwal, leader of the Redbridge Council. Addison describes the gym as “home” for many users because of its tight-knit community.<\/p>\n Khan described the project as “inspirational” and revealed how boxing helped “change” his and his younger brother’s lives when they were younger.<\/p>\n “When I was young and grew up on council housing in South London, a local boxing club changed my brother and my dreams,” he said.<\/p>\n “The coaches there guided us to do something constructive. Boxing, like many other sports, can change people’s lives and lifestyles.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n