Frances Segelman sculpting the head of boxer Derek Chisora

AS a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors she is well known for her busts of royalty and celebrities.

Frances Segelman, Lady Petchey, has sculpted Queen Elizabeth II, Joan Collins, Bruce Forsyth and many others including John Profumo, Cherie Blair and Dame Judi Dench.
I caught up with her on Tuesday inside a ring at St Pancras Boxing Club where she was facing her latest muse, Derek Chisora.

Lady Petchey – widow of the late philanthropist Jack Petchey – created a live clay bust of the former British and Common­wealth heavyweight champion in front of a packed room as part of an event raising funds for theatre charity Chickenshed.

She told me: “Derek is an amazing model. He has a wonderful face and I’m loving the whole process. I never knew this existed until a week ago and it’s an amazing place because they are helping young people get off the streets, which is what my late husband, Jack Petchey, did. That was a big thing for him.”

Mr Chisora, who spent much of the eve­ning sitting remarkably still, was already set to have a bust created by Ms Segelman and suggested St Pancras – the gym he calls “home” – as the venue for the event. He said: “This is one of the second gyms I came to. CJ’s work is unbelievable. Boxing is for poor people, nobody who is rich does boxing. The poorest kids come to boxing and make some- thing out of it.

“Myself I was poor, Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury. You have to understand boxing is the way for us. When you get in a boxing gym, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you stay with boxing.”