THREE of the town's most promising boxers have quit Bolton Lads Club following the resignation of long-time coach John Hart.

Dave Court, Ben Cuniffe and Danny Boswell - all of whom have been tipped as potential Olympic stars - are among several young boxers who boycotted the club's prestigious Box Cup last Friday night in the wake of Hart's departure.

The club's members are now training at Ladybrdge Football Club, where Hart has set up a temporary base until a more suitable venue can be found.

Hart, aged 61, has been coaching at the club for over six years, and is one of the most senior officials on the North West circuit.

He claims the relationship with some of the club's senior staff became unworkable, and that members of the boxing section were treated as "third-class citizens.

"I love the club and a lot of the people there, but I don't think they understood how a boxing club must be run.

"I had three lads who have won national titles, but the club did very little for them, except for a scrap of paper pinned up on the wall."

Although Hart said he would be willing to talk to club officials about a possible return, Lads Club officials have already met to discuss plans for his replacement, leaving three of Bolton's brightest young boxers in limbo.

"The lads have all stayed loyal to me, and all credit to them for that," said Hart.

"But the reality is that they will suffer unless we can find a suitable venue for their training.

"We have three young lads here who I genuinely think can go on and represent their country - but they will be lost forever unless something is done."

Lads Club chief executive Jeremy Glover said two new coaches would be appointed to the boxing section to replace Hart in the near future.

He added: "We got to the position where we could not work with John anymore, but wish him all the best in the future. We have more than 3,000 kids use our club every week, and although the boxing section is only a small part of it, we are very proud of their achievements.

"Some of the boys will remain loyal to John, and that is only natural, because there is a very strong bond between the boxer and his coach.

"It is a blow to the club, but like with any sport, things move in cycles and we will now work to creating the next batch of top boxers."

Gareth Cuniffe, whose son 16-year-old Ben recently won the NACYP national championship under Bolton colours, said John's departure was a "sad day for the club".

He said: "It is a shame things have worked out like they have.

"The lads are very loyal to John, and he has done a lot for them, much of it out of his own pocket. I don't know what will happen now, but it would be a big loss to Bolton if the lads were to go elsewhere."