Zaur Antia reveals he turned down numerous offers

Zaur Antia has revealed that he rebuffed a number of coaching offers from rival countries before taking up his position as Irish boxing’s interim head coach.

The 52-year-old Georgian was appointed to the job in the fallout to Billy Walsh’s resignation after the Wexford native departed for a new coaching role with USA Boxing following months of failed contract negotiations with the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA).

The IABA will on Wednesday night discuss a long-term coaching plan as the association’s board of directors meet at the National Stadium, while officials from the association are also due to meet with Minister for Sport Michael Ring and representatives of Sport Ireland (formerly the Irish Sports Council) on Wednesday afternoon.

While Antia has been appointed as interim head coach, it has not yet been confirmed if the Georgian will take on the role full-time in the build-up to the Rio Olympic Games.

IABA CEO Fergal Carruth has expressed his ‘full support’ of Antia, but the association’s board members will tonight discuss a long-term coaching strategy as they meet for the first time since last week’s Oireachtas Committee meeting analysed the Walsh saga.

Antia is likely to figure prominently, no matter what his long-term position, as the Georgian is one of the most highly-rated technical coaches in the world and IABA officials are keen to ensure he is retained in the long term.

It is believed that the Georgian has been approached by a number of established European and Asian countries about coaching roles, while other world powerhouses also expressed an interest.

“I have had offers from a few other countries,” confirmed Antia, who was unwilling to entertain any offers. “They asked me but I never negotiated or anything. I would not do this without speaking [TO THE IABA].”

The Georgian, a former Master of Boxing in the Soviet Union, has been instrumental to the revival of Irish boxing on the international stage, working alongside Walsh since the pair helped Gary Keegan set up the High Performance Unit (HPU) in 2003.

He is now set to work alongside coaching colleagues such as Eddie Bolger and John Conlan as they aim to maintain the success of the HPU following Walsh’s departure.

“My plan is not only to build up this High Performance place here [at the National Stadium], but at all levels all around the country to make the boxing skills better for a generation of Irish boxers,” said Antia on his role as interim head coach, an appointment which has been welcomed by many Irish senior boxers.

Decorated fighters such as Katie Taylor and Paddy Barnes emphasised that Antia is ‘irreplaceable’ as speculation mounted in recent weeks that he could follow Walsh to the USA.

“The boxers’ words are everything,” said Antia on the fighters’ words of support. “They look at me and they know I’m beside them.”

The coach is also keen to see some semblance of a coaching succession strategy introduced, with Antia agreeing that graduates of the High Performance Unit should be retained as coaches after retirement if possible.

“Of course that would be a good idea. Kenny [EGAN]would be a good coach, Darren O’Neill would be fantastic coach, so would Eric Donovan and John Joe Joyce - they’re skilful boys,” said Antia.

“They all have the talent to become very good coaches, they are very rich with knowledge. One day, when I will finish, I hope to see the boxers I worked with continue this.”

A Joint Committee on Transport and Communications meeting was held last week to investigate the Walsh saga, with IABA chairman Joe Christle explaining that the association will tonight begin the process of revamping their coaching structures.

“We do not just simply want to appoint another head coach, what we want to get is another director of high performance,” said Christle last week.

The appointment of a High Performance Director has been a contentious issue for the IABA since the resignation of Gary Keegan in 2008.

Wexford native Walsh was upset at the association’s refusal to promote him to the position, while an effort to appoint then-IABA president Dominic O’Rourke to the role in 2010 was blocked by the Irish Sports Council with the job remaining unfilled since.