Walsh a 'big loss' to Irish boxers says Nevin

The Irish boxing team's results in Rio this week may have been different if Billy Walsh was still the head coach, according to London silver medalist Joe Joe Nevin.

In addition to David Oliver Joyce's defeat to Albert Selimov of Azerbaijan on Tuesday night and Paddy Barnes' shock defeat on Monday, last night Joe Ward's long awaited Olympic debut ended in a surprise loss to Ecuador’s Carlos Mina.

Tweeting from America where he is preparing for his August 26 return to the ring, Nevin said that while 'it's easy to have an off day', Walsh is a 'big loss' to Irish boxing and in his view 'the best coach in the world'.

Nevin will be hoping to make it eight wins out of eight as a professional when he takes to the ring against an as yet unnamed opponent in the Sugarhouse Casino in Philadelphia on August 26.

Yesterday Nevin tweeted that his preparations are going well and that it's 'time to shine again'.