Billy Walsh's decision to resign as Irish boxing head coach has been put down to "a failure of the IABA to recognise his leadership" - by John Treacy, the head of the Irish Sports Council.
Walsh stepped down from his role as Irish boxing’s head coach on Monday, taking up the role of head of the women’s boxing programme in the USA.
The decision comes off the back of more world championship medals in Doha last week - including a gold for Michael Conlon - and after the IABA had committed to securing his services when news of an offer from the US began to emerge in August.
The 52-year-old had previously agreed a new contract drawn up by the Irish Sports Council (ISC), which provides funding for Irish boxing. Yet the IABA decided that they would not agree to considering the proposal and have not explained why, despite many requests to do so.
Instead they drew up a watered-down document which was entirely unacceptable to Walsh.
Treacy told Newstalk Breakfast on Tuesday that he had even shook hands himself on a deal in late August, with all parties including IABA chief executive Fergal Carruth - and he still doesn't know why the agreement fell through and was never even taken to the Association's full board for its approval.
“We were told last week that the deal is done. Then we hear on Monday that it has fallen down on the non-financial aspects which is between an employer and employee and which beggars belief. It is clearly a ridiculous situation to be in.
“It fell down on the non-financial aspects of the deal and that is really around the leadership of the programme,” Treacy said.
“We recognise that Billy is leader of the programme. The boxers do, and the tributes from the boxers if you heard them in the last couple of days, were clearly saying that he is really going to be missed.”
Walsh will fly out to the US on Wednesday to begin his new role.
"When you do any deal, you have to leave a bit on the table for everyone, and here we were yesterday watching Billy Walsh sitting on his couch talking about being humiliated and undermined.
“We appealed (to the IABA) to act on this. There was a total lack of urgency in our opinion.
“This is something we warned about eight months ago, to deal with this and deal with it swiftly, and it wasn’t done.”
Speaking on Second Captains on Monday night Bernard Dunne was less inclined to target the blame at the IABA.
“I think there’s only so much you can give to a person to convince them to take a job or stay in a job,” he said. “You can also not be held to ransom. And I’m not privy to the final details of negotiations so were all going on hearsay.
“It’s a tough one to call. Do you give someone complete power? I’m not sure about the friction that was there between Billy and association. He was a great leader and he had a great rapport with the boxers. But the fact of the matter is he’s gone.”
Meanwhile Ireland boxing team manager Joe Hennigan told the 'Today with Sean O'Rourke' show that "it seems to be all along that there is a personality clash there.
“His secretary was doing fantastic work and there was no problem but then they moved her from A to B. Why did they move her when there was no need to move her.”
