Team Ireland are more than coping after Walsh exit suggests Conlan

Losing Billy Walsh to America hasn’t had a negative effect on the High Performance Team nor Ireland’s Olympic medal hopes claims Micheal Conlan.

There was national uproar when Walsh was allowed leave for pastures new after all the success he had overseen in Irish amateur boxing in recent years. (See Walsh’s mind boggling medal record HERE).

However, World number 1 and Olympic bronze medal winner Conlan claims things remain the same sine the Wexford man’s move the American Women’s Boxing Team, indeed the Belfast talent, who will compete in his second Olympics in Rio, suggests things may have even improved.

As a result the popular younger brother of Jamie Conlan, who fights for the vacant Commonweatlh belt in London this weekend, is adamant he and others will win Olympic gold this Summer.

“I’m very confident we will go there and pick up more than one gold and I am very confident that I am going to be one of them golds,” said Conlan.

We have one more qualified than last time. We had five then (in London) and now we have six.

“I’m excited. Preparation is going fantastic. Even with Billy gone it is exactly the same, if not better, with Zaur. He is on the floor a lot more and he’s working a lot harder and giving a bit more one-to-one to each boxer, so it is fantastic.”