In Athens under the gaze of the Acropolis, Amir Khan became the youngest ever British Olympic boxing medallist at the tender age of 17, paving the way for an incredible boxing career.
Khan’s silver medal in 2004 proved a catalyst and sparked a surge in the popularity of boxing in his hometown of Bolton, attracting young lads to the local gyms, all wishing to emulate their new found idol.
Alex Matvienko of Elite Boxing Gym hailed the feat as immensely influential for Bolton.
He said: “When he won we had about 14 new gyms open up in Bolton, and everyone wanted to be Amir Khan.”
Amongst the young hopefuls was Jack Flatley, a local lad who witnessed Khan steam-roller his way through the competition in Athens and decided there and then that boxing was his chosen path.
Video directed and shot by Mary Naylor
Flatley has gone from strength to strength as an amateur and is now hoping to have his first professional fight later in the year.
Earlier this month Flatley entered the senior ABA regional championship deciders, defeating his first opponent in the semi-finals on a unanimous points decision then romping to victory on a split decision.
Podcast interviews and editing by Mary Naylor
The nationals was a different matter as Flatley lost by a slim margin on points in the final, but he’d made trainer Matvienko proud.
“He was up against a lot of England national boys, he lost, but I thought he’d just nicked it personally,” he said.
“We didn’t get it, but he’s shown that he will be a massive force in English boxing, he’s a local lad from Bolton who’s come up through the youth clubs and will be a part of England boxing in the future.
“He’s only 20 years old and has much left to deliver. He had three fights: Friday, Saturday and Sunday and he’s back in the gym Monday. He just eats, sleeps, breathes boxing like Mayweather.”
Flatley, as well as being one of the country’s bright young boxing hopefuls, is also a full-time student at the University of Manchester, which he admitted could sometimes prove to be a tall order.
The young pugilist is currently seeking sponsorship to take his career to the next level and any enquiries can be directed to Jacks trainer Alex at Elite Boxing Gyms in Bolton: http://www.eliteboxing.co.uk/contact-us/
