Caborn hits out at Olympic boxers for 'biting the hand that fed them'

Amateur Boxing Association president Richard Caborn has accused Olympic medal-winning boxers James DeGale and Tony Jeffries of 'biting the hand that fed them' following their step up to the professional ranks.

Caborn also called for the professional game to be forced to pay money to the sport's grass-roots.

The ABAE chief blasted the two fighters for "biting the hand that fed them".

The two boxers criticised the ABAE after turning professional, claiming they were owed bonuses for winning medals in Beijing, but Caborn said amateur boxing had invested close to £1million over four years to cover their salaries, coaching, training, travel and insurance.

Caborn said: "I'm very sorry that both James and Tony have chosen to attack the body that has invested over £100,000 a year each in their training to bring them to the position of being able to box for their country and win medals in Beijing.

"They are effectively biting the hand that fed them.

"Prior to 2007 when the elite funding was taken over by UK Sport, the ABAE funded these young athletes from their own coffers to make sure they could realise their full potential.

"There have been ongoing discussions via the ABAE to keep these young boxers in amateur status through to 2012.

"This has not been possible with the lure of the bigger money coming from [promoters] Frank Warren and Dennis Hobson."

Caborn said the professional game owed it to boxing to pay money to the grass-roots, as the Premier League do with football.

"The investment was at the expense of other boxers at the grass-roots", he said.

"I would hope promoters and the professional bodies should make investment back into grass-roots boxing."