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Team Ireland's head coach has a warning about the future of Irish boxing

Ireland's team coach Billy Walsh says the country's ultra-successful boxing team does not get the...



Team Ireland's head coach...
Golf

Team Ireland's head coach has a warning about the future of Irish boxing

Ireland's team coach Billy Walsh says the country's ultra-successful boxing team does not get the credit it deserves.

And he also warned that all the recent success enjoyed by Ireland at amateur boxing level could disappear if funding becomes inadequate.

Michael Conlan and Joe Ward both won golf medals the European Elite Boxing Championships in Bulgaria on Saturday to continue an exceptional era of success for Ireland's amateur boxers.

"I think this team doesn't get much recognition that it really deserves because every four years people turn up and then the Olympic games turn up and 'who's going to win the medals?' You look at the boxing people for the medals," Walsh told Off The Ball.

"They're full time athletes, earn very little money, some of them have no money and if you look at the European Games in Baku, I think two of the 10-man team have been on no funding. These guys are dedicating themselves to be full-time athletes without the resources."

Walsh also warned that a lack of funding could see Ireland's success run dry.

"We need sponsorship to keep these guys in full-time training because all of a sudden, this thing could stop very, very quickly if we don't have the funding to run the system, and the funding to have the athletes in full-time training - and it doesn't take much to keep these guys," he said.

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