AMIR KHAN is yesterday’s man in the world of amateur boxing, so it is time to look for another poster boy, or maybe even a girl. Amanda Coulson will be the star turn when she becomes the first woman to box on ABA finals night today and what is more, unlike Khan, the ABA’s own Million Dollar Baby has no intention of turning professional.

About 250 female boxers are registered with the ABA and Coulson, 22, a light-welterweight who boxes for Hartlepool Catholic PCc, is probably the best of the lot. Sadly, her record of 15 wins from 18 bouts makes her too good for anyone else at her weight in England, so today, at the ExCeL Centre in London’s Docklands, she faces Alana Murphy, from Belfast, the latest import brought in to face a woman rated in the top three at her weight in Europe and top six in the world.

Two years ago, the first attempt at a women’s national championships was organised at Hendon Police College. Coulson entered, but none of the other entries were experienced enough to face her. The bout tonight is no gimmick by the ABA and it hopes one day to have the women’s finals running alongside the men.

“I’m really looking forward to it, it’s certainly the biggest bout I’ve had,” Coulson said. “It’s a shame I can’t be facing an English girl, but I’m lucky that my club has supported me so well in finding sponsors to fly girls in to face me.”

The Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby has opened many people’s eyes to the fact that women box, but Coulson, unlike Hilary Swank’s character in the movie, is not looking to make a fortune from the sport. “I want to box in the Olympics,” she said.

“I’m hoping women’s boxing becomes an Olympic sport in 2008, but if not, there are whispers that it might be in 2012.”

Coulson’s sole experience of a leading tournament was not a good one. At the European Championships in Italy last year, the three-woman England team all lost their first bouts. Coulson was stopped in the second round by Vinni Skovgaard, of Denmark, who went on to win the title.

The two met again 15 days later in Hartlepool and Coulson won on points. “In Italy, it was the first time I had not had my regular trainer in my corner,” she said. “For the rematch we worked on how to box against the taller opponent.” Hopes are high for the European Championships in Norway in May.

Female boxers, amateur and professional, have suffered prejudice for years, from those who deny them the right to box by claiming that the sport is not suitable for women. Female boxers do not necessarily lack ability or a “killer instinct”, but the sport has suffered from a lack of depth, leading to some appalling mismatches — mostly professional — with well-known names fed novices because of a lack of opponents.

In the professional ranks this has been particularly noticeable with Laila Ali, the daughter of Muhammad Ali, whose problems are exacerbated by her size — she is a supermiddleweight.

“It’s a skill at the end of the day and there is no reason why women can’t do it as well as men,” Coulson said. “We’ve got six girls in the beginners’ class here now and they are every bit as good as the boys in the beginners’ class.”

The ABA has also started to hold England camps for women. “The standard is very high,” she said. “Women here are just lacking the experience, but that will come.”

Coulson took up the sport eight years ago after reading an article about plans for a first women’s bout in Britain gave her the urge to give it a go. “It was a very disheartening experience,” she said. “Everywhere I phoned, they either said ‘girls don’t box’, or ‘we don’t have facilities for women’.

“I hope things have changed now. Since Million Dollar Baby came out, apparently there have been hundreds of women looking to take up the sport. I didn’t really enjoy the film — there should have been more boxing in it — but it has done more for the sport than all the publicity campaigns put together.”

Any newcomers should not expect to be sharing a ring with Coulson. She spars with men, because of the lack of suitable female competition. Sessions can get quite heated, too. “You can’t be a boxer and not expect to get hit,” she said.