It's been a bizarre old week for boxing. Out in New Delhi Amir Khan's kid brother has been slagging off the GB coach Rob McCracken and the selectors for not giving him the opportunity to wear an England vest in the Commonwealth Games.

Nothing sweet about Haroon's tweet as he stuck up a verbal two fingers after beating Wales' Andrew Selby, who is on the GB Olympic podium squad, and went on to collect a bronze medal.

Flyweight Haroon, aka Harry, backed vociferously by Amir and their dad Shah, argued that the proof of the pudding was in the punching, and the Khans inferred there was some prejudice against him simply because he was Amir's brother, and that McCracken had never seen him box.

For his part McCracken reckoned young Haroon simply wasn't good enough.

So who was right? Could be a split decision either way, unlike like the contest between McCracken's men and the squad groomed for the previous Commonwealth Games by the head coach he eventually - and controversially - supplanted, Terry Edwards MBE.

McCracken, an old pro (well, perhaps not so old at 42) has done well since taking over at the start of the year, his boxers winning their fair share of medals in various international tournaments, including the European championships. He claims GB's aggregate medal haul in the Delhi was the best ever in a Commonwealth Games. That may be true, but England's certainly wasn't.

English boxers won two golds and four silvers in Delhi. Four years ago Edwards' team returned from Melbourne with five golds, a silver and two bronze. As the pugilistic pecking order is decided on gold, Edwards comes out on top by unanimous decision.

This is not to decry the work McCracken has done. Overall GB boxers are shaping up nicely for 2012 but I will be surprised if there is not some disappointment in the England camp.

This England team, unlike the class of 2006, are virtually full-time fighters with the benefit of superb new state-of-the-art facilities at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. The Melbourne-bound boxers prepared in a one-ring gym in the bowels of Crystal Palace with considerably less funding.

In Delhi, England finished third in boxing's medal table behind the shock big hits of the tournament, Northern Ireland, who brought their own coach, and India, an emergent force who, thanks to their Cuban trainer, look set to spring a surprise or two in London.

Should England have done better? I think so, even though grabbing half a dozen medals is not to be sneezed at, especially as McCracken has had to replenish his squad because the majority of the all-England GB team from the last Olympics subsequently turned pro, including all three medallists - James DeGale, Tony Jeffries and David Price.


Also, Delhi showed there is some exciting new British talent to look forward to in 2012, not least the lively Liverpool lightweight Tommy Stalker (pictured), who followed his European silver with Commonwealth gold and is surely set to be named Britain's best young amateur of 2010.

Then there's a new heavyweight hope on the blocks, Simon Vallily, from Teeside, who has emerged from the classic background of bad lad made good after serving four years in a young offenders' institution to be saved by the bell – the one that sounds in the ring.

A former Middlesbrough football triallist, he looked the business in winning his gold, as did the Scottish light-heavyweight Callum Johnson.

McCracken certainly has some decent material to work on but he takes a bit of a breather from the amateur game to be in the corner of his professional charge, Carl Froch, who attempts to regain the world super-middleweight title against Germany's Arthur Abraham in Helsinki next month.

Meantime, what of Terry Edwards? The good news is that he is still involved in boxing, teaching schoolkids and working with more seasoned fighters at the famous Rooney's Gym in south east London. He has also applied for a pro licence.

As it happens London 2012 is advertising for a technical operations manager to help organise and run the Olympic boxing tournament. Surely they need look no further than Edwards, who seems ideally equipped for the role.

On the pro front we await with intrigue (or should it be amusement) the heavyweight clash of former amateur friends-turned-foes David Haye and Audley Harrison on November 13. But here's a real laugh. Haye, long-time caller-out of the Klitschko brothers has been impudently gazumped by the relatively unknown British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Dereck Chisora as an opponent for Wladimir in Germany on December 11.

Chisora, 26, a former ABA champion, has had only 14 pro fights, making him the least experienced challenger for a heavyweight title since gap-toothed Leon Spinks sensationally outpointed Muhammad Ali in only his eighth paid bout 32 years ago. Previously the dubious distinction had been held by Pete Rademacher, who, fresh from winning the Olympic title in 1956, was ko'd by Floyd Paterson on his pro debut a year later.

On paper Chisora's chances are, as Ali used to say, "Slim to none – and Slim just left town". But without throwing a punch he has landed one in the eye for WBA champion Haye by signing for back-to-back fights against the Klitschkos – that is if he isn't flat on his own back after meeting the younger sibling for Wladimir's IBF and WBO world titles.

"Of course I'll give Klitschko the utmost respect" grins Chisora. "But he'd better know I won't be training my jacksie off for nothing."

Daring 'Del Boy' is certainly one of boxing's cheekiest chappies, not short on courage, charisma or controversy. Earlier this year he was suspended for five months and fined £2,500 by the Board of Control for taking a Tysonesque bite out of opponent Paul Butlin ("I was bored," he claimed.)

He also caused a rumpus at a weigh-in when he planted a kiss – a real smacker – on the lips of another opponent Carl Baker. He will be well advised to stick to shaking hands with Wladimir

Zimbabwe-born, and public school educated, Chisora is promoted and managed by Frank Warren (pictured), who provides the final twist to the week's tale of boxing's unexpected.

As insidethegames revealed a few days ago, Britain's top fight impresario, soon to celebrate 30 years in boxing, is putting his muscle, and a bit of his money, behind the bid to bring hockey's World Cup next year.

Why hockey, we asked? "Why not," he countered? "It's a bit of fun and I'm delighted to try and help out another sport. I've a long association with London's East End and I'm thrilled to think I may be able to make a contribution towards the Olympic legacy."

The World Cup would be the first international event to be held at a legacy facility – Eton Manor - following the Games. So on Tuesday (October 19) Warren will be sharing a promotional platform with mayor Boris Johnson (now there's a match-up we'd pay good money to see) to launch the bid at Foreman's Fish Island near the Olympic Park.

Warren, who admits he doesn't know a penalty corner from a left hook, says he'll help promote the bid and also organise the event if successful.

After the job he's done in getting Chisora a world title fight we can't wait to see him hype up hockey. Bully for him.

Alan Hubbard is an award-winning sports columnist for The Independent on Sunday, and a former sports editor of The Observer. He has covered a total of 16 Summer and Winter Olympics, 10 Commonwealth Games, several football World Cups and world title fights from Atlanta to Zaire