HAROON Khan was left bitterly disappointed after a trip to the Ukraine to compete for England in the European Under-15s Championship proved a waste because it was discovered he was too old.
It was only when the 15-year-old brother of superstar Amir Khan arrived in the country that officials spotted he was born in May 1991, when the tournament is only open to boxers born after July of that year.
"Haroon is absolutely gutted," said his father Shaajad Khan. "We and his coach Mick Jelley have travelled all this way only for this to happen.
"The England officials have apologised to us and hope to organise a friendly against a semi-final loser later this week.
"He now qualifies for the cadets but we will have to look at when their tournaments are held when we get back home."
It would have been the first time Haroon has boxed abroad, and he had hoped to put the disappointment of the ABAs behind him when he lost the Golden Gloves Championship final in March to Terry Holmes on a controversial points decision.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article