MIKE Jelley, trainer of Bury Boxing Club's Amir Khan, has spoken of his anger at being frozen out of his charge's corner for the Olympic Games.

The talented 17-year-old will be Britain's sole boxing representative in Athens and Jelley was hoping to crown years of dedicated service to the sport in Bury by being with Khan all the way.

But, instead, Terry Edwards, head coach of the British amateur boxing team, will be in the ring, something that Jelley, understandably, finds hard to take.

"He's my lad, it's been all my hard work that has taken him there but now someone's come along and said 'I'm going to the ball,'" he said.

"It's so disappointing. My 40 years of training lads of all ages and nationalities would have come to a climax at the Games.

"I want something at the end of the day, I don't want money, I just want to be in his corner, but Mr Edwards will be there while I'll be sat 50 rows back."

Jelley - who recently moved his club to impressive new premises at the Seedfield Centre - is a victim of a lack of boxing qualifiers from this country, which has restricted the number of Olympic passes available to the British team.

But after coaching the Bolton-based lightweight since he was 11 it's a real sickener for him not to see the job through on the biggest stage in the world.

And he has some forthright views for the amateur boxing hierarchy in this country.

"Before the Lottery funding started there would be five people looking after the English team," he added.

"Now you have 85, all picking up wages, while the person who has been looking after the kid and taking him all over the world doesn't get a look in.

"I intend contacting the Sports Minister after the Olympics to tell him what is going wrong with the sport.

"There are a lot of people who feel the same way as I do."