THE resurgence of British amateur boxing may be one of the stories of the Beijing Games.

 

Seven UK fighters have already qualified to test their skills and nerve this summer against the Cubans and the other established Olympic powers.

 

Up to four more team-mates could yet join them.

 

But what are the chances of the revival lasting long enough to ensure a bumper crop of boxing medals at London 2012?

 

Won’t those who do well in China simply ride off, in time-honoured fashion, into the professional sunset, leaving the amateur ranks once again denuded of their best talent?

 

Yes and no.

 

Yes, it still seems unlikely that a Beijing gold medal-winner who catches the public eye in the way that Amir Khan did in Athens would delay turning pro for an opportunity to repeat the experience on home soil.

 

But no, it is by no means inevitable that all those who make their mark in China will turn their back on the amateur game the moment the Olympic flame is extinguished.

 

Six-figure signing on bonus

 

Frank Maloney, who is promoting Ricky Hatton’s forthcoming homecoming fight, thinks a Beijing gold medallist who captured the public’s imagination could command a signing bonus well into six figures.

 

This could conceivably rise to seven figures in his first year as a pro once income from actual fights was taken into account.

 

Clearly, it is always going to be hard for the amateur sport to compete with that sort of money.

 

However, Maloney also says that, given the choice, he would rather sign a boxer who won gold at London 2012 than Beijing 2008.

 

“An English fighter who wins a medal in London will be worth a lot more than any other Olympics,” he says.

 

Consequently, he would advise any young boxer who got through a couple of rounds of the Beijing tournament to stay amateur until London.

 

“He could triple his value.”

 

It is not as if amateur boxers in the 21st century are expected to live on fresh air and charity.

 

Paul King, the admirably down-to-earth chief executive of the Amateur Boxing Association, recently told me after a snatched lunch in the House of Commons that the Beijing-bound boxers received between £18,000 and £25,000 a year tax-free and enjoyed an overall package of benefits that he costed at around £70,000 a head.

 

King believes that this could be augmented by a further £40-50,000 if he can ratchet up corporate sponsorship and garner more cash from other sources, such as a possible broadcasting deal.

 

At present, he told me: “We are receiving no private sponsorship other than individual sponsors and donations”.

 

He went on: “The private sponsorship we have got at the moment is for our youth and junior boxing programme.

 

"That’s from the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines and that’s £200,000 over the next five years.”

 

A company called Louver-lite sponsors some events.

 

“That’s about £50,000 a year.”

 

The ABA’s annual turnover is “probably in the region of £3.5 million, split about equally between elite and core”.

 

Stemming the tide

 

Ian McNeilly, editor of BritishBoxing.net, a boxing website, thinks the sort of six-figure package King has in mind would probably be enough to “stem the tide and make boxers think – especially those boxers still young enough to have a professional career after 2012”.

 

He suggests the offer could be made even more tempting if some sort of trust fund could be set up to tide fighters over in the event of injury or other mishap.

 

Barry McGuigan, the former world featherweight champion, pinpointed another reason why amateur boxers should think carefully before turning pro.

 

“Stylistically, amateur boxing is getting further away from professional boxing,” he told me.

 

Power was a bigger factor in the professional game, while amateur boxing was dominated by those who were fast on their feet.

 

King appears to believe, in any case, that there is plenty of talent in what he calls “the underbelly of our junior programme” to replace those who do decide to move on.

 

If he is right, boxing could yet be as significant a contributor to Britain’s 2012 Olympic medals haul as the likes of cycling and sailing.

 

David Owen is a specialist sports journalist who worked for 20 years for the Financial Times in the United States, Canada, France and the UK. He ended his FT career as sports editor after the 2006 World Cup. Now freelance. He was shortlisted for a 2006 Race in the Media award for a piece about swimming. He has twice run the Athens Marathon. Owen has written about sport all over the world from dogsledding in Yukon to cricket in Chicago and football in Japan and South Africa.