Walsh: Irish boxing can survive blow of losing Olympic stars

Billy Walsh insists that boxing’s high-performance unit has the strength in depth to survive the loss of John Joe Nevin to the professional ranks — and Michael Conlan too, if it comes to that.

The Irish boxing coach named a nine-man team for next month’s World Amateur Boxing Championships yesterday, one without the Westmeath Olympic medallist who has decided to ditch the amateur game. Again.

It is a significant blow for a team hoping to claim a first senior world gold medal given Nevin was ranked number one in his weight division. The loss of Conlan would be another massive blow as he intends following suit if he wins a medal in Kazakhstan.