CHARLIE Edwards will need to pack a punch if he is to achieve his ambition – he wants to win an Olympic boxing gold for Great Britain.

The 17-year-old flyweight is hoping he will be part of the team competing in the 2012 Games in London.

Charlie, of Beddington Lane, on the Croydon and Sutton border, has already won gold at the 2007 European Schoolboys Championships.

Earlier this year the British Amateur Boxing Association included Charlie in its 11-man development squad as part of its selection process for the GB 2012 boxing team.

"I have been training for six years already and I feel I have what it takes (to win Olympic gold)," Charlie said.

"My coaches are also telling me that I am showing the best promise in my age group.

"Winning the European Championships had been my proudest achievement so far, but being told I had a place on the development squad was the best news yet.

"It provides me with a solid development scheme to help me achieve the best possible outcome at either the 2012 or 2016 Olympics."

Charlie's first steps toward Olympic glory came at the age of 11 when he joined Roundshaw Amateur Boxing Club to keep fit.

He discovered he had a talent for the sport and has shown utter dedication to fulfilling his dream ever since.

"I train every day of the week and do hourly runs to keep my fitness levels up," Charlie said.

"Every other weekend I head up to Sheffield where I train at the English Institute of Sport alongside Khalid Yafai and Bradley Saunders, who competed at the Beijing games in 2008."

Once he has achieved his Olympic dream, Charlie has aspirations of making it as a professional boxer, like his hero Manny Pacquiao.

"I want to follow in his footsteps," he said. "He has the best all-round ability out there and the way he looks after his weight is truly professional."