The sooner the Irish Amateur Boxing Association come out with a statement on this matter – positive, negative or otherwise – the better.
The silence is killing the IABA as further news on Billy Walsh’s departure from his post as head of the country’s High Performance Unit for boxing.
It has been five days since news emerged that Walsh would definitely be taking up a job offer from the United States Olympic Committee.
The IABA have yet to publicly comment on Walsh’s exit but that vacuum has been flooded with stories, and comments, that cast them in a bad light.
The latest arrives, this morning, in the form of a report in The Irish Times that claims the IABA reneged on a pay deal, for €95,000, that was agreed upon by all parties in August. With performance-related bonuses, Walsh would have earned €120,000 for 2015.
According to documents witnessed by the newspaper, the Memorandum of Agreement would formalise Walsh’s role as head of the HPU.
The pay deal, when pensions, travel expenses and health insurance were factored in, would be half of what the United States were offering. Despite this, Walsh is believed to have been happy to sign on the dotted line.
Nonetheless, days later, the IABA told the Irish Sports Council that they had opted not to bring the agreement to board level for discussion.
The IABA are planning to hold a press briefing later today, to address matters relating to Walsh’s departure.
