IABA not budging on world championships team strategy

THE IABA last night admitted there are no plans to bring forward a Central Council meeting to ratify the team for the world boxing championships.

This is despite the fact Billy Walsh is scheduled to take his boxers to a training camp in Assisi on Friday.

“Our president, Tommy Murphy, only arrived back off holidays this morning and I just had an opportunity to speak briefly with him,” said IABA secretary, Sean Crowley.

“As far as I’m concerned last week’s statement still stands and that says that the team for the world championships will be ratified on Saturday.”

Crowley, who hails from Fermoy, is a member of the officer board that will recommend the winners of the last week’s box-offs for selection to Central Council.

However high-performance coach Walsh will be putting forward his nominations for selection also. They will include the two reigning European champions Ray Moylette and Joe Ward, world bronze medallist John Joe Nevin, Darren O’Neill and Olympic silver medallist Paddy Barnes, who also won European and Commonwealth Games titles last year.

Three-time Irish middleweight champion Darren O’Neill, appealed for reason to prevail in selecting the team for the world championships in Baku, the first of only two qualifiers for next year’s Olympic Games in London.

He won a silver medal at last year’s European championships in Moscow, but was one of the missing stars from last week’s box-off because of injury.

“In my case the injury is manageable but it has to be managed,” he said.

“I have been through this before and I know that in six weeks’ time I will be ready to box in the world championships. I know that from experience and the other lads are in similar situations. It is in the interest of boxing as well as the boxers themselves to send the best team to the world championships.”