Woodhall had a public falling out with Terry Edwards in 2005

Former world champion Richie Woodhall has joined the new Great Britain amateur boxing set-up as a consultant.

Woodhall, who took bronze at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, won Commonwealth gold en route to his career highlight, the WBC super-middleweight crown.

He will continue training professional fighters at his gym in Birmingham and with his various media commitments.

"I have been waiting for an opportunity to help talented up-and-coming boxers in the GB squad," said Woodhall.

"I relish the prospect of getting involved as part of the GB team and I am delighted to do my bit to help us achieve great success.

Woodhall said closer links with professional boxing are essential if the amateur sport is to get the best out of its talent over the next three years.

"We need to end the era of amateur and professional boxing being two separate things and urge the likes of Joe Calzaghe, David Haye and Carl Froch to come on board and help some of our great young fighters.

Richie represents the very best that is possible in British boxing BABA performance director Kevin Hickey

"I will be speaking to all those guys soon because I think their involvement will be fantastic for all concerned. It's about influencing and educating these kids and giving them a great chance of getting a medal in London."

Shropshire-based Woodhall briefly held the post of performance director with the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) in 2005, but resigned after a fall-out with head coach Terry Edwards.

Edwards, who led Amir Khan to silver at the 2004 Olympics and Team GB to a gold and two bronzes in 2008, recently left his role as head coach of Britain's Olympic boxing team after the newly-formed British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA) opted not to renew his contract.

BABA's performance director is Kevin Hickey, who trained British boxers at five Olympics and worked with Woodhall in 1988.

Hickey said: "I have immense regard both in personal and in athlete terms for Richie. He represents the very best that is possible in British boxing and I am thrilled to have him on board.

"I know he will bring a new type of expertise to the fantastic talent we have here in the squad and help us to ensure that the development and success of our boxers is optimised for London 2012."

UK Sport took emergency control of the Sheffield-based elite programme in June 2008 because of concerns about "governance" and "climate within the sport".

At this time, the programme was run by the ABAE, the governing body in the largest of the three home nations that make up the team. But that situation became unworkable when Edwards' relationship with the ABAE dissolved.

BABA is funded by UK Sport and assumed responsibility for the development of Britain's elite boxers on 1 October 2008.

Former England head coach Kelvin Travis is temporarily in charge of Britain's London 2012 hopes, although a recruitment process is now under way.

Woodhall had been tipped to succeed Edwards in the role, but said he was not prepared to give up his television and professional coaching commitments.

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