Gerry Sutcliffe called for every school to have a boxing club

Boxing lessons in schools could give pupils the opportunity to get fit and help tackle gang culture, the sports minister has said.

Gerry Sutcliffe called for every school to have a boxing club, noting that currently the facility is only open to one in 25 students, the Mirror reports.

Following the success of a trial scheme in Sheffield in which coaches from boxing clubs took classes at local schools, he is planning on extending it to Birmingham, the north-east and the London borough of Newham.

Police and teachers in Sheffield praised the programme, saying it has delivered positive results.

Mr Sutcliffe told the newspaper: "I want to see boxing return to schools because it can play a real role in tackling obesity, is great for discipline and, as many an ex-boxer will tell you, provides a real alternative to gang culture."

Several schools in Bromley, south-east London introduced the sport into their physical education lessons last year, with help from the Amateur Boxing Association of England.