At the heart of the Kiyan Prince Foundation has been the unwavering spirit and dedication of our Founder, Dr Mark Prince OBE.

After running away from home as a teenager Mark was homeless and was soon involved with alcohol, drugs and street crime. He knew he was on the wrong path.

When he was introduced to boxing, Mark was determined to turn his life around and he rose to become an internationally renowned Light Heavyweight champion and the holder of the IBF and WBO Inter-Continental belts.

Mark only ever lost one professional bout – when he fought Dariusz Michalczewski for the world title in 1998.

After hanging up his gloves, Mark had a world of opportunities ahead of him when his life was devastated in May 2006. Mark’s son, Kiyan, was a very talented professional footballer playing for QPR when, aged 15, he was murdered outside his school by a young person with a knife, while Kiyan was trying to break up a fight and to protect one his friends.

The pain of Kiyan’s senseless murder could have consumed him yet, driven by a profound desire to create a lasting legacy of support through education, Mark chose a different path – one of honour, bravery and hope and in 2008 the Kiyan Prince Foundation was borne.

Awarded an OBE for his Services to Tackling Knife and Gang Crime in London, as well as receiving The Children’s Champion Award from former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and an Honorary Doctorate from Excel University, Mark has solidified a legacy to his son and influenced a generation.