The gloves are off in the latest boxing row

The furore around the departure of our greatest boxing coach Billy Walsh could set a dangerous precedent as another Irish talent is forced into exile, writes Michael Clifford

At the time of writing, it looks like Ireland has definitely lost Billy Walsh. The greatest boxing coach the country has ever known trods a well-beaten path.

He may reflect on the words of another who fled small mindedness on this small island, one James Joyce, who described Ireland as “the sow that eats its farrow”.