Paddy Barnes fears Zaur Antia’s departure would be the greatest blow of all

Paddy Barnes believes a refusal by the IABA to allow Billy Walsh to manage the overall high performance programme may have been at the heart of the Wexford man’s decision to resign his role.

As highly as he rates his former mentor however, Barnes believes that the loss of Zaur Antia to Irish amateur boxing would be more damaging.

While Walsh’s organisational skills and ability to choose the most suitable tournaments for the fighters are legion, it is Antia’s technical ability that stands out for Barnes.