IABA may move meeting

THE Central Council meeting to select the team for the World Championships, scheduled for next Saturday, could be brought forward after the IABA issued a statement responding to the selection controversy.

The world championships in Baku at the end of the month will be the first of two chances to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games and High Performance coach, Billy Walsh, who will take his team to a training camp in Assisi next Friday, wants to put names on tickets on Monday.

“The Association recognises the genuine concerns of boxers, their supporters and families, and the wider community of boxing and sports fans regarding team selection. The Association has stated however that it is a long-standing part of team selection for major championships to use box-off tournaments to ensure the strongest possible team is sent.

“At a meeting on August 5, the Officer Board of the Boxing Council of the IABA recommended the Open Elite Competition be used to assist in the selection of the team for the World Championships. Formal team ratification will ultimately take place on August 20, and the Boxing Council will select the team following the outcome of the Open Elite Competition, and assessing other relevant performances and factors.”