Audley wins place on Wall of Fame

When it came to sport, only boxing anoraks would have been aware that world champions John H Stracey, Maurice Hope and Leslie Stewart were Repton products. Or that Jason Rowland, who challenges for a world light-welter-weight title at Wembley on 21 October, also learned the ropes at Repton's Cheshire Street Baths gymnasium.

But then, in the early hours of Sunday morning, the Repton name was broadcast loud and proud as Audley Harrison offered a heartfelt 'Thank you' for the vital assistance and encouragement the club had given him in his successful quest for an Olympic gold medal.

Down the years Repton has trained 11 Olympic boxers, had two members honoured with Olympic team captaincy and produced a consistent run of Amateur Boxing Association championship finalists and title-holders.

But Harrison became Repton's first Olympic gold medallist when he outclassed super-heavyweight opponent Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov of Kazakhstan in Sydney.

Harrison made a triumphant return home today ready to cede his amateur status and pursue the potential fortune to be earned as a top professional. But the 28-year-old will never forget the part Repton played in his success story.

He said: "Their thinking is the same as mine - do things properly or don't do them at all. Repton, as a boxing club, do things properly."

Walk through the unimposing entrance to the gym on most nights of the week and you'll find up to 100 boxers, from raw juniors to more seasoned seniors, being put through their paces by a squad of a dozen coaches.

Overseeing this sweat-laden production line is Tony Burns, a craggy individual with a world-weary face. Burns is in the haulage business, owning two companies that move and relocate heavy machinery. His passion is Repton.

He has spent 30 of his 58 years at the club and there is probably no other figure in British amateur boxing who can boast more experience and knowledge of the sport.

Burns has no time for egos, he does not suffer fools and his earthy views on certain elements of boxing administration sting the ear like a well-aimed right-hander.

There are stories that this former featherweight title-holder once kicked the Krays out of the gym when he discovered they were using it to audition new henchmen. He certainly admits to throwing Harrison out on the street.

"We've had words," he said. "When Audley first came here, he had difficulty getting his head through the door."

Harrison's confident, extrovert nature may have helped write the headlines from Sydney but he admits his attitude was inappropriate when he first came seeking a higher class of training and sparring than that on offer at his first club in Northolt.

He recalled: "I was used to being pampered, to being the star. But when I first went to Repton I didn't like the attitude of the coaches.

"I walked out and joined Islington. They had a lot of big guys there but as soon as I arrived they all left. So I was back in the same position as I had been at Northolt.

"I returned to Repton with my tail between my legs, spoke to Tony, and never looked back. The most important thing about this club is that they are prepared to do anything to make you a better boxer. Whether it is help with finance or sending you abroad, they will do whatever it takes."

Burns was ringside in Sydney to see Harrison elevate Repton's reputation to new heights.

"Audley is a brilliant ambassador for the sport," he said. "He is always looking at the bigger picture. When he came to us three years ago his mind was already on Sydney. He knew we had a record of turning out Olympic boxers and that's why he joined."

Harrison, already Commonwealth champion before he left for Australia, is now one of more than 80 faces on the 'Wall of Fame' lining one side of the gym, each picture being that of a Repton boxer who has gained international honours.

The club's headquarters is a Grade 1 listed building, originally opened in 1900 as Bethnal Green's first public baths. Last year much of the place was redeveloped for residential use but a planning condition imposed by Tower Hamlets Council was that the boxing club should remain on site.

As a result, Repton have the security of a 999-year lease, paying peppercorn rent.

"We've had kids come through here who have gone on to make it in banking, in law, in films, in all walks of life," said Burns. "At least we're giving them a chance."