Training the boxers who don't land any punches

"The prime factor is safety and we would not be involved in this if I thought they were going to get hurt."

In fact, Lacey has been stunned by the popularity of Kid Gloves among pupils. Although regular sessions will be held at Raine's, the first one was hosted by the Peacock Gymnasium in Canning Town which has provided vital funding and logistical support.

Standard Sport was there when the school party arrived in a mini-bus.

Lacey, who has earned an ABA coaching qualification in order to teach Kid Gloves, said: "I had to leave so many back at the school. I could have filled two 50-seater coaches, with the majority being girls." This, along with the emergence of professionals such as world champion Jane Couch, is another indication that boxing is shaking off its old image of being a strictly male preserve.

Lacey said: "The girls want to get fitter, they want to get more toned, and they want to have fun while they are doing it. So many other sports are geared around the concept of winning.

"The Government keeps on about young people not being fit and the lack of participation in sport.

"So if you can offer an extra activity that is going to involve 20 or so children in sport who otherwise would be doing nothing, you have done an amazingly good job."

There are other claimed benefits. Bill Cox Jnr, an Olympic boxing referee and chairman of the Peacock Amateur Boxing Club, said: "This scheme will help to develop responsible, worthwhile citizens. Boxing training is about learning the difference between the right way and the wrong way of doing things.

"It encourages self-discipline and it encourages a commitment to fitness and a healthy way of life. The biggest danger facing children today is that of drugs, and if we can help to keep these children away from drugs then that must be a good thing.

"What we don't want to do is force kids into boxing properly. And we're not teaching children to be bullies.

"We don't tolerate bullies in our club, but boxing does breed self-confidence so that those being bullied can stand up for themselves."

Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison has recently taken hits over his performances as a novice professional, but the Londoner does deserve credit for the upturn in boxing's popularity among the Kid Gloves generation.

Cox said: "What Audley has done for the sport is unbelievable. You cannot put a value on it. The way he presented himself, and the way he handled himself at the Olympics is an example of what all this is about."