IRISH BOXING’S ZAUR has left the ring as the IABA’s head of coaching.
Zaur Antia informed his stable of high performance boxers over the last 48 hours that he has retired, thus ending a golden 22-and-a-half year period in which he developed a stable of world champions and 10 Olympic medalists, including Katie Taylor and Kellie Harrington.
Altogether, he coached Irish boxers to 154 medals at elite level and while the assumption was that he would continue until the LA ’28 Olympic cycle was completed, the 62-year-old feels that now is the time to step back.
“I am so happy God gave me this chance to work with such talented boxers,” Antia said. ”It is fantastic, 10 Olympic medals. It’s a beautiful thing in my life and that makes me very happy.
“The memories, the experiences, everything…it’s not easy to leave boxers when you have such good relationships.
“I always focused and worked really hard. Maybe I was thinking about taking some weeks off and making some sort of transformation – 22-and-a-half years is a lot of time.
“I have six grandchildren here, I need to spend this time with my family. Already I miss my coaches and my boxers, every day I miss them. It never disappears. But the main thing is I have something I can really miss.
“I am a human being. It was more difficult yesterday but today it is better. I’m happy because we had a good history, we achieved good things, and the team is developing very well. I see a good future in them. I started very well, I’m finishing very well. That’s all I can say.”
Antia focus will turn to the piano, chess and sea swimming in Bray, where his family has put down roots. He is thinking about writing a book on his life story.
But there is also the tempting offer to work in a consultancy role with the IABA and he will make a decision on that in the new year. Perhaps, with his batteries recharged, he will return to his boxers in a new role.
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His wife, Nona, had expected the six-time Georgian champion and USSR regional bronze medallist to return to his seaside hometown of Poti within six months of his great Irish adventure in late 2002. Instead, a new life beckoned.
After making the transition to coaching, he was discovered by Cork boxing official Dan O’Connell, who asked him to visit Ireland. The offer intrigued him.
Antia was in Harrington's corner at the 2024 Olympics. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Antia had no English but, within weeks of his arrival, was appointed as the IABA’s new technical coach under Billy Walsh.
Walsh departed under a cloud in 2015 and joined US Boxing; Antia was the natural choice to replace him. The Rio Games followed and, amidst a doping controversy, Ireland failed to win an Olympic medal in the ring for the first time since 2003.
“That was a big, big stress and a difficult situation,” he recalled. ”Billy had success over there (with the US team), we had problems with everything but the person with strength of soul and knowledge doesn’t become wounded in bad situations, strong people will move on from there.
“When it comes to bad or good things, both can damage you or improve you. That’s what happened to us but that’s a bad memory!
“Another was in Beijing during the (2008) Olympic Games and my family were in Georgia; on the 7 and 8 of August, Russia attacked my town and for four days I couldn’t contact my family.
“That was very difficult but we came out of those situations. In Rio we got hit, but we moved on and the success hasn’t stopped.”
In an Irish sporting context, Taylor and Harrington are the boxers who stand out from the many that Antia has worked with.
His aim was always to develop the ‘universal boxer’. Skill level was the top priority. “Coaches know this is the secret to success,” he explained.
“This is about working with the best, competing with the best, training with the best. That is where the universal boxer comes from.
Kellie and Katie remain the inspiration of Irish boxing. They are very strong, very good boxers.
“Kellie Harrington is capable of a third gold medal. Kellie is so powerful, she is explosive, her physiological strength is fantastic. She has a brilliant lifestyle, which can bring her that success. I am very much sure she can do it.
“But also Lisa and Aoife (O’Rourke) and Grainne (Walsh), all these World champions and medallists, European champions; the boys are fantastic as well, like Dean Clancy and Jack Marley.
“They’re all very good boxers and I don’t want to forget their names. It’s emotional, I love all of them. Aidan Walsh is a fantastic person, he has become a psychologist and he understands the nature of boxing.
“Look, that’s the big privilege for me, to be in the corner of all those boxers.”
Antia’s departure will leave a serious void for the IABA to fill. The man himself believes Damian Kennedy is the right candidate to replace him.
Kennedy, who hails from Tyrone, is already on board as a high performance coach. He took charge of the team for the final Olympic qualifiers in Thailand and experienced his first Games in Paris last year.
“I’m thinking that Damian Kennedy will be after me,” Antia said. “He was in the coaching team beside me at the Olympic Games with Kellie, he was at the World Championships, the European championship.
“He was coach (of Team NI) when five gold medals were brought from the Commonwealth games. He is a fantastic charismatic person, a good leader and good coach, a good friend and very professional.
“Everything will be fine and, beside him, there are very good coaches in James Doyle, Eoin Pluck, Lynne McEnery. The organisation is united, the teamwork is fantastic. This team will be very strong.
“What kills human development is ego. That doesn’t exist here. Everyone is focused on improvement and helping each other, on healthy competition to find a solution.
“That’s what I see here, a fantastic federation, fantastic human beings.”
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Shock as Zaur Antia steps down as IABA's head of coaching
IRISH BOXING’S ZAUR has left the ring as the IABA’s head of coaching.
Zaur Antia informed his stable of high performance boxers over the last 48 hours that he has retired, thus ending a golden 22-and-a-half year period in which he developed a stable of world champions and 10 Olympic medalists, including Katie Taylor and Kellie Harrington.
Altogether, he coached Irish boxers to 154 medals at elite level and while the assumption was that he would continue until the LA ’28 Olympic cycle was completed, the 62-year-old feels that now is the time to step back.
“I am so happy God gave me this chance to work with such talented boxers,” Antia said. ”It is fantastic, 10 Olympic medals. It’s a beautiful thing in my life and that makes me very happy.
“The memories, the experiences, everything…it’s not easy to leave boxers when you have such good relationships.
“I always focused and worked really hard. Maybe I was thinking about taking some weeks off and making some sort of transformation – 22-and-a-half years is a lot of time.
“I have six grandchildren here, I need to spend this time with my family. Already I miss my coaches and my boxers, every day I miss them. It never disappears. But the main thing is I have something I can really miss.
“I am a human being. It was more difficult yesterday but today it is better. I’m happy because we had a good history, we achieved good things, and the team is developing very well. I see a good future in them. I started very well, I’m finishing very well. That’s all I can say.”
Antia focus will turn to the piano, chess and sea swimming in Bray, where his family has put down roots. He is thinking about writing a book on his life story.
But there is also the tempting offer to work in a consultancy role with the IABA and he will make a decision on that in the new year. Perhaps, with his batteries recharged, he will return to his boxers in a new role.
His wife, Nona, had expected the six-time Georgian champion and USSR regional bronze medallist to return to his seaside hometown of Poti within six months of his great Irish adventure in late 2002. Instead, a new life beckoned.
After making the transition to coaching, he was discovered by Cork boxing official Dan O’Connell, who asked him to visit Ireland. The offer intrigued him.
Antia had no English but, within weeks of his arrival, was appointed as the IABA’s new technical coach under Billy Walsh.
Walsh departed under a cloud in 2015 and joined US Boxing; Antia was the natural choice to replace him. The Rio Games followed and, amidst a doping controversy, Ireland failed to win an Olympic medal in the ring for the first time since 2003.
“That was a big, big stress and a difficult situation,” he recalled. ”Billy had success over there (with the US team), we had problems with everything but the person with strength of soul and knowledge doesn’t become wounded in bad situations, strong people will move on from there.
“When it comes to bad or good things, both can damage you or improve you. That’s what happened to us but that’s a bad memory!
“Another was in Beijing during the (2008) Olympic Games and my family were in Georgia; on the 7 and 8 of August, Russia attacked my town and for four days I couldn’t contact my family.
“That was very difficult but we came out of those situations. In Rio we got hit, but we moved on and the success hasn’t stopped.”
In an Irish sporting context, Taylor and Harrington are the boxers who stand out from the many that Antia has worked with.
His aim was always to develop the ‘universal boxer’. Skill level was the top priority. “Coaches know this is the secret to success,” he explained.
“This is about working with the best, competing with the best, training with the best. That is where the universal boxer comes from.
“Kellie Harrington is capable of a third gold medal. Kellie is so powerful, she is explosive, her physiological strength is fantastic. She has a brilliant lifestyle, which can bring her that success. I am very much sure she can do it.
“But also Lisa and Aoife (O’Rourke) and Grainne (Walsh), all these World champions and medallists, European champions; the boys are fantastic as well, like Dean Clancy and Jack Marley.
“They’re all very good boxers and I don’t want to forget their names. It’s emotional, I love all of them. Aidan Walsh is a fantastic person, he has become a psychologist and he understands the nature of boxing.
“Look, that’s the big privilege for me, to be in the corner of all those boxers.”
Antia’s departure will leave a serious void for the IABA to fill. The man himself believes Damian Kennedy is the right candidate to replace him.
Kennedy, who hails from Tyrone, is already on board as a high performance coach. He took charge of the team for the final Olympic qualifiers in Thailand and experienced his first Games in Paris last year.
“I’m thinking that Damian Kennedy will be after me,” Antia said. “He was in the coaching team beside me at the Olympic Games with Kellie, he was at the World Championships, the European championship.
“He was coach (of Team NI) when five gold medals were brought from the Commonwealth games. He is a fantastic charismatic person, a good leader and good coach, a good friend and very professional.
“Everything will be fine and, beside him, there are very good coaches in James Doyle, Eoin Pluck, Lynne McEnery. The organisation is united, the teamwork is fantastic. This team will be very strong.
“What kills human development is ego. That doesn’t exist here. Everyone is focused on improvement and
“That’s what I see here, a fantastic federation, fantastic human beings.”
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Boxing Wave Goodbye Zaur Antia