Paddy Barnes fears Zaur Antia’s departure would be the greatest blow of all
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.
There are some fears Antia, who is very close to Walsh, might now accept one of the many offers he has turned down out of loyalty to the Irish programme in recent years.
According to Barnes, the Georgian is irreplaceable. “He’s the best coach” said Barnes. “I’ve been around the world, seen loads of teams training, and he is the number one man. Zaur just brings it to a new level of technique. Years ago, watch Irish boxing and we’d just go in with a big heart. Now we’re technical, feigning and all. It’s all because of Zaur. He’s taught us how to fight, and fight properly. He’s developed everyone on the team.
He continued: “The way I see it is Zaur is the best technical coach you could ever see, so he’d be developing boxers, but Billy would lead them in the right direction and plan tournaments and when to fight. He’d pick out when to fight so he’s good. He’s a brilliant performance planner and performance manager and I think that’s what Billy wanted to be in the IABA, but he wasn’t, he was head coach, and that’s probably why he left – because they wouldn’t give him it.”
Describing his relationship with Walsh as “love/hate”, Barnes insists he is pleased for the man himself that he has come to a resolution that suits him.
“We’ll argue one week and be best friends the next week. Billy knows that. He’ll be missed and I’ll miss him myself but I’m glad when he is leaving he’s in a better place for himself, more money and all that so fair play to him.”
Even though a chance of making history is looming, given that he is the only athlete representing Ireland to win medals at two Olympics and is heavily fancied to make it a third in Rio, Barnes would turn professional if the right offer came along. He will almost certainly take the plunge after the Olympics and doesn’t believe that at 29, he will be too old to do so. With an 18-month-old daughter, Erin, he needs to make a living from boxing while he can.
“For me it’s not about winning medals anymore because I know how good I am, and I know how good I can be. Going to Beijing and going to London; I thought in London I could win gold, but this time in Rio I can’t see myself not winning gold. I saw the World Championships there and the two guys in the final, they were fourth and fifth behind me in the WSB. They were like kids and so, if I can’t beat them, there’s no point even boxing.”
Barnes was in Dublin yesterday, teaming up with Electric Ireland to announce its Smarter Living sponsorship of the Irish Olympic team for Rio 2016. While welcoming the support, the Belfast man remains conscious of the lack of commercial opportunities for boxers in particular, despite their phenomenal success in recent years. He has, he reveals, had conversations and approached people himself but failed to drum up any support.
“The only boxer in Ireland, including professionals (getting sponsors) is Katie Taylor, not (world champions) Carl Frampton or Andy Lee.
“Maybe it’s the sport’s image, maybe brands don’t really associate with it. With Katie, I’m not saying that I’m a bad boy or anything, but Katie’s a girl and she’s clean-living and a Christian and all… I don’t know.”
He is thankful for the funding received from the Irish Sports Council but with his funding of £9,000 from Sport NI cut completely, it is a struggle to make ends meet.
“We get funding from the Irish Sports Council but it’s decreasing every year. You get €40,000 and people think ‘that’s great’, but it’s only 28 grand (sterling).
“You’re travelling all over the world, have a mortgage to pay, kids to feed. For all I do, it’s not much.
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