IT is seen as the epitome of macho-culture.

Yet boxing is increasingly becoming the sport of choice for pupils at Swaythling's Wildern School. What's more, it is the girls who are taking the lead.

Spurred on by the inspirational silver medal performance of 17-year-old Amir Khan at the Olympics, a wave of interest in the noble art has swept Southampton during recent months.

Clubs are brimming with interest and moves are afoot to bring it back into more schools.

There are those, of course, who view boxing as a brutal example of all that is wrong with modern society, but they need not worry.

The emphasis is on the skills and values that boxing personifies and it should be stressed that it is very much a non-contact activity within the schools.

Keith Winstanley, head of Year 11 at Wildern, believes the school has really benefited from tapping into the sport's current popularity and credibility.

"They love it," he said. "We see at lots of gyms and health clubs that boxing exercise is becoming more popular.

"It has not been done before. For us, the key thing is to try and get them to remain active and do something which gets their heart-rate going.

"The girls are so enthusiastic about it, so I'm hoping we will be able to carry on with it.

"It is quite empowering, they have some music, they get a bit more freedom with what they wear and it is all going really well. Usually we have a few drop out from their PE lessons, but not since we've been doing the boxing.

"There is no punching and the emphasis is on technique and fitness. It's a good stress release."

Northside head coach Jon Lambert has been going into the school free of charge to take the boxing lessons for a class of 20 girls.

Each have received a certificate and are following what is known as the 'Kids Glove' scheme.

"It is non-contact boxing and we teach them the basics," explained Lambert, who is also coach to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight's boxing squad.

"They love it and the response from the school has been fantastic. They get a medal and certificate at the end.

"We have gone through all the main basics of training including footwork, shadow boxing, pad-work, skipping and using a punchbag."

At Lambert's own Northside club, he admits the phone hasn't stopped ringing with interest since the coverage given to Khan's Olympic heroics.

The boxing boom has also been boosted by the recent decision of the OCR exam board to include it on its list of A-level subjects.

Home Secretary David Blunkett, meanwhile, has said that amateur boxing training can offer young people a positive way of life.