He has coached hundreds of the area’s young people – many from deprived households – and wants to make sure the sport stays accessible to them.
“If they can’t afford the fees, we’ll pay them for them,” he said. “We don’t want them on street corners or anything like that getting into trouble.
“Discipline in the boxing is great and every one of our boxers has respect for authority.”
In recent years the club has turned out talented athletes, including Commonwealth gold medallist Sam Hickey.
Demand is growing, but the small gym hall cannot always accommodate those who want to join in and staff have had to turn people away as a last resort.
The club’s successes and challenges were the subject of a recent short documentary by filmmaker Scott Dee.
Meanwhile Derek has launched a fundraising campaign to extend the hall, in order to keep the club at the “heart of Lochee”.
Speaking to Reporting Scotland: News at Seven, he recalled one night where an old member whom he hadn’t seen in ten years paid the club a visit – just an hour after his wife had given birth to their baby girl.
Elated, the man wanted to share his news with Derek – and the club that was once so important to him.
Derek said: “That’s the thanks you get for what you do.”
