Ciarán Gallagher: The punches flying in thick and fast as blame game begins

And now the finger-pointing begins. Statements from Billy Walsh, the Irish Sports Council and the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) followed the resignation of the head coach from his role in Irish boxing’s High Performance Unit, more than 1,600 words in all, but none of them outlined just how much of a mess this sorry saga is, writes Ciarán Gallagher.

Walsh will depart Irish boxing on Thursday, taking up a role in the USA, at first with their women’s team before eventually coaching their men – a job the Wexford native has previously described as ‘a sleeping giant’ of amateur boxing and the only one that could tempt him to leave Ireland.

As attractive as the role and the Stateside six-figure package presented to him may seem, however, the 52-year-old insists it was not his No 1 choice.