Former Ireland boxing coach Eddie Bolger hasn’t ruled out reuniting with Billy Walsh and Zaur Antia at the IABA’s High Performance Unit in the future.
They were behind some of the country’s greatest amateur boxing moments in recent years, but the trio has since broken up.
Walsh was the first to leave, to head up America’s Olympic boxing programme, and he was followed out the door by Bolger earlier this year.
Bolger is now the head coach in Germany’s amateur boxing high performance unit, based in Heidelberg, though admits he would love to link back up with his two old friends in Ireland again.
"It’s a sacrifice being away from home, but I hope there’s a day I can go back," he explained, speaking to RTÉ’s Saturday Sport. "You never know - it might be me, Billy and Zaur again when things get sorted out in the IABA.
"Ireland has a lot of good coaches, club coaches that might develop into high performance coaches, but it’s a tough gig and it’s not that attractive to every coach. It could be an opportunity down the line - doors open and doors close."
Antia is the only one of the three still working in Ireland, where he is now operating under the recently appointed high performance director Bernard Dunne.
Bolger says he felt he had to leave for Germany to secure his and his family’s long-term future.
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"I spent a lot of time coaching with Ireland, I have been to most big tournaments twice and maybe three times, my contract was up, I wanted a bit of security and I wanted a bit of value," he explained.
"A lot of roles within the coaching system changed, you had to take on extra responsibilities, had to fill gaps.
"I always identified coaching as a career choice, it wasn’t a hobby, and if you choose it as a career choice you have to be looked after, your security has to be looked after, and I wanted to progress in it. Irish boxing seems to be in transition, they’re still filling gaps.
"They have appointed a high performance director in Bernard Dunne, but that came a little bit late for me and it was all about timing.
"I was in negotiations with the IABA, they had offered me a new contract and a power nation like Germany came in and offered me a very, very good deal. If I had my family’s best interests at heart and my own career development there was only one choice to make.
"I wouldn’t close the door on ever coming back to Ireland. (IABA CEO) Fergal Carruth and the board have supported me and wished me the best of luck.
"Zaur had the biggest influence on me in terms of coaching and Billy taught me the softer skills necessary and now it’s really time for me to go and develop," said Bolger.
