‘Nothing has Changed’ – Billy Walsh reacts to Bernard Dunne resignation

Billy Walsh has slammed the Irish Athletic Boxing Association and called for accountability as the fall-out from Bernard Dunne’s resignation continues.

Dunne stepped down from his role as high performance director last week.

The Dubliner lodged a complaint with IABA CEO Fergal Carruth in November with reference to an unsigned document calling for his immediate resignation, which was circulated at board level before the Games.

The former world champion argued the SWOT analysis, which went public, was shared to deliberately discredit him.

There was meant to be a hearing into his complaint last week but that was postponed and it’s understood that Dunne then decided it was time to resign.

Walsh, who himself stepped down as high performance director in 2015 and has since gone on to take over as Head Coach of USA Boxing, verbally rolled his eyes at the situation when speaking on RTE this week.

The Wexford suggests nothing has changed and called Sport Ireland or the goverment to hold people accountable.

But speaking on Claire Byrne Live, Billy Walsh said: ‘I think it’s crazy to be at this stage.

‘Three (high) performance directors later, two Oireachtas Committee meetings — which ended up just being talk shops — and nothing has happened.

‘Nobody has stood up and actually taken these people to task. It’s a disgrace. There’s people’s psychological welfare being affected by this.

‘Sport Ireland, or the Irish Government, need to stand up and make people accountable for their actions, or their inactions.

‘To leave was such a difficult thing for me. I spent lots of nights crying on my own. I was in Doha when I made the decision that I was going to resign.

‘Psychologically I was in a bad place and I know Bernard has been in a bad place for several months now, because this has been going on since February 2021 and it hasn’t been resolved. Nobody has stood up and supported me or supported Bernard. I think Sport Ireland has a lot to answer for.’

Walsh said that part of the problem is that some in Irish boxing circles want the Team Ireland boxers picked by people outside the high-performance staff.

‘That’s like the Kilkenny county board picking Brian Cody’s team,’ Walsh said.

‘The leaders within the organisation are the same leaders that were there when I left. The same people are there and they are allowing this to happen – or, they’re part of what’s happening.’