Zaur Antia has agreed a new contract with the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, keeping him with Irish boxing until at least 2021.
Bray-based Georgian native Antia will serve as head coach having first joined the Irish high performance team in 2003.
Antia is believed to have received lucrative coaching offers from Canada and the Middle East and there were fears that he could follow Billy Walsh in leaving the IABA for opportunities abroad.
However the highly rated coach has agreed to extend his stay with the IABA until 2021 and is already targetting the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
"I am delighted on both a personal and professional basis to commit to Irish boxing," Antia said.
"Ireland has been home for my family and I for the last 13 years and I am delighted that we are in a position to stay.
"I am also very excited about remaining part of the Irish High Performance system.
"We are, as is normal after any Olympic Games, in a period of transition but there remains a significant amount of talent and potential in the system as evidenced by the medals won by our team at the world youth championships in Russia last week and I am confident that with the right support and investment we can deliver future success.
"I am also looking forward to becoming more involved with the women’s programme and feel that the medals we won at the recent World and European Championships is evidence of the strides made in women’s boxing here.”
