Hot Press Meets Billy Walsh

A former fighter, Billy Walsh is now head coach of the Irish boxing team. In that role, he has been the architect of the most successful era ever in Irish boxing. 

Our success at the London Olympics 2012 has been followed by a four-medal haul at the recent European Championships. Which begs the question: where do we go from here? As far as the unassuming Walsh is concerned, the only way is up. He believes that Ireland can become the No.1 nation in the amateur boxing world. Given what he has achieved to date, you wouldn’t bet against it.
So what is Billy Walsh himself like? And what is the secret of Ireland’s boxing success? If you could bottle it, a lot of our current woes would be swept away. Time to put the questions to the man himself...
Growing up in Wexford, how did you get into boxing?
I grew up in a working class area, Wolfe Tone Villas. In each house they’d have six or seven kids. It was a hot-bed for developing athletes and people playing sports. You were out on the street playing football, hurling and often there was the odd row. When I joined the Christian Brother’s school at seven years of age, there was a boxing club. So I ended up progressing into the club at school. 
What was it that enabled you to excel in sport?
Maybe I was just coordinated (laughs). I don’t know! I had a drive and a passion. My father is from a GAA background – a good player – and my mother’s sister was an All Ireland Camogie Medal Winner. So I suppose there is something in the genes.
Did you feel boxing was an escape?
Not really. I enjoyed the individuality. I enjoyed testing and pushing myself and so I just found a love for it.
You’ve said previously that boxing got you off the streets and out of trouble – what did you mean by that?
I was very robust as a young lad, full of ‘devilment’. I’m not saying I would have ended up in a bad way but it helped channel all that energy in a positive fashion, into discipline and into the sport.
You missed out in the Olympics of ’84. How did you feel about that?
I was absolutely gutted. I felt it was my time. I had beaten a couple of other guys who went there. You know when you’re 21, four years is a long time. To be around for the next one was going to be a daunting task. I thought I might never get this opportunity again. Fortunately it did come along for me again four years later.
Tell me about your experience in Seoul ‘88? 
Oh it was amazing, especially having waited so long to get there. It was the greatest experience of my life, to stand on the pitch as they were lighting the big flame. To achieve your boyhood dreams is an amazing feeling.
You didn’t get a medal. Were you past your prime?
No, I was 25 years old, I still should have been in my prime. I persevered and stayed with it and got my opportunity. I didn’t take it, unfortunately, and that’s how it ended up.
But you’ve helped others to achieve what you missed out on. Why did the boxers do so well in the 2012 Olympics?
Because we have a good team. To qualify is actually the hardest part. Once we qualify there’s always a realistic chance. I think 70% of the medals in the big games are won by European boxers. But we only get 30% of the places – so when we get there we do have a realistic chance of competing for medals. In Ireland, a good system and a good structure that enables the boxers to perform on the big occasions.
How was it walking out into the Excel Arena in London?
Oh it was amazing. The atmosphere was fantastic. It’s very difficult to explain: it would make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. It was really a home from home, and we had massive support from British people as well, which I thought was fantastic. The first day we came out, John Joe Nevin was boxing and the crowd just blew us away. John Joe just ended up staring into the crowd. When he got into the ring, his mind was still up in he crowd and he didn’t have a great first round. We had to pull him back, in between the rounds, and get his head focused on the fighting. And he won. Anyhow, we went back that night and the sports psychologist Gerry Hussey put together a video of what it was like and the decibel noise and we played it to the team so they wouldn’t be taken aback by it when they came out. We then put it onto their iPods so they could get used to the noise for when their time came to fight.
What was the standout moment for you?
There are so many. I think Katie Taylor’s gold medal. There were no tickets available and it looked like there were 9,000 Irish people sitting in a 10,000 seater arena and so the atmosphere and the sense of fulfilment we got as a team, were amazing. We’d been striving for a gold medal at the Olympic games, and Katie actually achieved it. She had been dominant in women’s boxing for a 10 year period and now was getting the rightful acclamation – that she is one of the best athletes Ireland has ever produced.
Is there a secret to success?
It has to be the quality of our preparation. We leave no stone unturned. We try to manage all the little things to make the big thing work. Having the right team, the right frame of mind and having a great culture around the team – a culture that does not settle for second best, that makes them want to continue on and get more no matter what they’ve won.
And as a result, we picked up 4 medals in the European Championships. 
What makes high performers is having that continuous improvement mindset. We had a fantastic training camp in the Ukraine leading into Minsk. The guys went there and performed out of their skin.
What happened to Paddy Barnes’s nose?
He got a fracture to his nose in April in the Czech Republic, against a Kazakhstan fighter. We’ve been nursing it from then. He had a few months off and then we got him back into the ring: he’d still a bit of soreness so we managed to have a face-guard to protect his nose so we could continue to train. He then broke it in the second contest in the European Championships. He re-fractured it. The semi final is actually where it fractured too bad to go again. He wanted to continue so I had to save him from his own bravery and pull him out of the final. The health of your boxer is more important than any gold medal. We want him right for the World Championships when they come around next October. 
Was he angry at you for taking him out?
Oh, we had a good talk for over an hour: we sat down and discussed all the options. We looked at every avenue and then eventually when we had gone through everything I said “Paddy I’m making the decision for you now, I’m pulling you out.” So he accepted that. 
After your Olympics success you were head-hunted by countries like America, Australia and the UK. 
There were some inquiries. I’m an Irishman, I’ve come through the Irish system since I was seven years of age. I’ve been an Olympian and went on to be a coach of  the most successful team that the country has ever produced. I’m quite happy as an Irishman to stay here. Obviously it’s something you have got to consider – in the era that we live in, sports is unpredictable. You’ve got to look after your family’s future. Thankfully I sat down after the Olympics with the chairman John Lynch and CEO John Stuart, and we came to an agreement that will tie us to the sport until after Rio. So after Rio we will have a look at where we are at and see what’s going to happen.
You have referred to America as ‘a sleeping giant’ – what do you mean by that?
There’s almost 300 million people living in America. They should be the best boxing team in the world. They have lots of boxing talent there, they just don’t have a system in place. I think America could quickly rise to the top of amateur boxing again if they got the system right.
Do you think that you could wake that beast that is America?
Yeah absolutely. I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think I could do it. I don’t know what the internal factors are in America but there is no reason for it not to happen. But at the moment, I’m tied to Ireland. I don’t really wish to comment on another country until after that, you know.
For a lot of boxers there is that temptation to turn professional. How do you convince boxers not to?
We lost one or two of our guys. But, to keep them, there is money there from the Sports Council, which enables full-time training. And obviously there is that drive towards the Olympic games. There is the option for these guys to stay within the Olympic family and to have a career as professional boxers – so they are opening up those avenues for boxers in the future.
Do you think there is enough funding for boxing from the Sports Council?
We are very grateful for the funding from the Sports Council. Without it this operation would never have been successful. And yes, we do need more to grow the sport. We have lots of Irish talent out there that’s probably untapped. We need to get out and develop regional centres of excellence. We were fifth in London, so our mental strategy is: how do we go from five to one? Unfortunately the government doesn’t have that much money at this point in time. We definitely need more funds.
Are we in any danger of losing more amateurs to  professional boxing, if we don’t get the finance in?
Well, the guys are financed. And they will be financed under criteria that they achieve something at international level, There is always a risk that some guys will say: ‘look, it was always my dream to be a world professional champion, I think I’ll give it a go’. You can’t deny someone the opportunity. As it is, they’re full-time athletes. They train twice a day, apart from rest days. And they have their break for their holidays. They dedicate their lives to it.
Success brings a certain amount of temptation, whether it’s alcohol or drugs. How do you manage that?
On their time off, they can go and enjoy themselves and live a normal life – but outside that they’re in a structure all the time. The guys are very well disciplined. Those threats are out there for everybody, in all walks of life. It was well documented that Ken Egan had problems coming out of Beijing, and he went on to enjoy himself too much and he had a problem with drink because of it. Thankfully we resolved that and he got himself back in order.
There are groupies in other combat sports – are there any in boxing?
No, there’s no groupies. If you find any, will you let me know? (Laughs)
Is this the golden age of Irish boxing?
We have a long, long history in the sport and now – having seen guys win at the highest level – there’s a lot of belief in the young lads coming through today, that they can compete with the best in the world. I think the results speak for themselves. Every year, we’re going out and we’re breaking records big time – so it would have to be considered a golden era.
Can we keep it going?
The future’s bright. I believe that we can be the best nation in the world. I wouldn’t say there’s anything wrong now, but there are things that can be done to make it better. We’re a national organisation, yet there’s only three full time coaches in the country – that’s not enough. 
What do you think of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)?
I don’t know anything about it, to be honest with you. I can’t really comment on it. I know it’s a tough game, and physically you have to be in a very good condition for it. It wouldn’t be my cup of tea.
Do you think it will overtake boxing in popularity?
I don’t know, I don’t even know how popular it is. I hear a lot of things about it but I don’t follow it. Boxing has been there a long, long time. There will always be a place for it.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on the sad loss of Darren Sutherland.
Darren Sutherland is a part of our team. He was a great young man, a tremendous athlete, and a world class boxer. It was a grave loss to everyone, especially his family. To all high performers, the guys out there winning these medals, they all say: “I think Darren was looking down on us today.” We feel that he is always with us. Every day he comes into our minds.
Ona different note, as a fellow Wexfordman, what do you make of Kevin Doyle’s exclusion from the Irish squad? 
He’s a good man and he don’t lie down easy. He’s a Wexford man. I wouldn’t know him that well. I know his wife Jenny was a barmaid in my local bar for many years. Form is temporary but class is permanent and Kevin is a class player. He will soon regain his form and his place on the team.