The highly rated McCracken has led Britain GB to huge success since taking over from Kevin Hickey as performance director back in November 2009 and has been in the corner for all his fighters high-profile bouts over the past two years, including the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games were the squad claimed two gold and four silver medals.

However, the AIBA have just been alerted to the fact that McCracken is also a professional trainer with Froch meaning that he is currently banned from being in the corner for any GB fighter at AIBA competition which includes the Olympic Games.

Rule 12.3.1. of the official AIBA Technical and Competition Rules - which are effective from March 24, 2011 - states: "Any coach active in professional boxing shall not be allowed to be a coach and/or second in both AIBA and/or WSB competitions at any level unless the coach resigns from any involvement in professional boxing for a period of at least six (6) months and is certified by AIBA as a registered coach."

McCracken was previously Britain's only AIBA two-star certificated coach and therefore the only person able to enter the corner of British fighters but his status has now been revoked after AIBA were fully informed of his professional relationship with Froch by an anonymous source in England.

Ho Kim, the chief executive of AIBA who is currently attending SportAccord here, told insidethegames: "Paul King [the former chief executive of the Amateur Boxing Association of England] registered only Rob McCracken from Great Britain as an AIBA certified coach but he did not mention in the paperwork that McCracken was also a professional coach.

"This is against AIBA regulations and I have therefore written to Keith Walters [the chairman of the Amateur Boxing Association of England] stating that McCracken's AIBA coach certification has been withdrawn with immediate effect."

Although McCracken is still able to coach Britain's amateur boxers and continue in his role as performance director, he will not be able to give vital in instructions to them in their corner during fights meaning that GB's male and female boxers will be at a huge physiological disadvantage to the opponents they face at London 2012 which could make the difference between winning a medal or not.

McCracken now faces two choices.

He can either resign from any involvement in professional boxing, including Froch, for a period of at least six months before the London 2012 Olympics, which begin in July 2012, or continue coaching professional boxers and risk significantly harming GB Boxing's London 2012 medal hopes.

If McCracken chooses to resign from professional boxing, he still faces a six month wait to get his AIBA coaching certification back meaning he will not be allowed in his fighters' corners for that length of time.

However, McCracken's star pupil Froch is currently in the semi-final of the high profile "Super-Six" boxing tournament which is he wins, would see him named as one of the best super-middleweight fighters on the planet.

The prospect of missing out on leading Froch to such an achievement makes McCracken's decision to step down from professional coaching particularly difficult but should 33-year-old Froch win - or lose - the tournament and retire at the end of the year, McCracken would be able to resign from professional boxing in January and recover his AIBA coaching status just in time to be in his fighters' corners in the summer of 2012.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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