Zaur Antia ‘100%’ committed to Ireland role

Zaur Antia has been confirmed as interim head coach of Irish boxing’s High Performance Unit and the Georgian has insisted he will not follow Billy Walsh to the USA.

Antia could be a target for Walsh should the Wexford man opt to put together a new backroom team in his Stateside role with USA Boxing, but the 52-year-old Georgian is determined to guide Team Ireland to the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Antia, hailed by the likes of Paddy Barnes and Ken Egan as the brains behind Ireland’s technical ability to compete at world level, has claimed that he wants “harmony and transparency” in Irish boxing after the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) finally broke their silence on Walsh’s contract saga yesterday.