Walsh blasts timing of World team selection

HIGH Performance Coach Billy Walsh will travel to a training camp in Assisi, Italy tomorrow with 16 boxers after failing in his bid to have Saturday’s meeting of the IABA’s Central Council brought forward to select the team for the World Championships.

IABA President Tommy Murphy said yesterday the team for the worlds would be confirmed following ameeting of the Boxing Councilbeginning at 11am on Saturdaymorning. Simultaneously, it was announced a squad of 16 will leave for Assisi tomorrow morning.

The squad includes all the winners from last week’s box-off as well as the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist and last year’s European and Commonwealth champion, Paddy Barnes, this year’s two European champions, Joe Ward and Ray Moylette, middleweight Darren O’Neill who was a European silver medallist last year, and world bronze medallist, John Joe Nevin.

It means that there will be two boxers in some of the weights — with box-off winner and defeated national finalist, Tyrone McCullagh, joining John Joe Nevin at bantamweight, national champion and box-off winner, Ross Hickey, joining Ray Moylette at light welterweight, and box-off winner and European youth champion, Jason Quigley, joining three-time national champion, Darren O’Neill, at middleweight.

“Unfortunately there are going to be some very disappointed boxers in Assisi on Saturday evening,” Walsh said. “It is something we would not wish to happen at a training camp because it would not be good for the boxers who will be preparing for the world championships either. It’s crazy stuff.

“At this point I know the boxers who should go to the world championships. We have been working with them all. I was in favour of box-offs at four weights and that’s what I recommended to the Officer Board. The others had all done enough in the lead up to the European championships to deem themselves worthy of selection.

“It’s my responsibility to bring the best possible team to Baku next month where they will have an opportunity to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games. Unfortunately I do not have the final say in that. It’s not like soccer or rugby where one man is responsible for team selection and even in GAA you don’t see the county board picking the county team.”

He said there was nothing sinister or mysterious about the injuries that ruled the top boxers out of last week’s tournament, pointing out that all of the boxers had been examined and assessed by two of the top medical people in the country.

“Dr Eanna Falvey, a former boxer, is a leading Orthopaedic Surgeon and, apart from looking after our boxers, he is the Medical Officer to the Irish rugby team and will be travelling with them to the world cup.

“Dr Johnson McEvoy is a top Physiotherapist and has been with our High Performance Unit since day one. He also recommended that the injured boxers not participate in the box-off.

“Unfortunately Paddy had to miss this year’s Europeans with a hand injury but he is now on target for the world championships and we will be very surprised if he is not in peak condition for those.

“Similarly, Darren O’Neill has an ongoing problem with his hand and Johnson nursed him through this to win a silver medal at last year’s European championships.

“One would not need to be an expert to see that John Joe Nevin was injured. He fell and fractured a bone in his wrist. He was in strapping until last week and has also been attending Dr Falvey.”

The Irish will join the Ukraine, Italy and Azerbaijan at the training camp in Assisi.