Boxing: Barnes faces ban after venting fury at crowd

Northern Irish boxing hero Paddy Barnes could face a five-year ban after he was sent home from the World Championships under a cloud.

The light-flyweight Olympic bronze medallist was disciplined after venting his fury at the crowd and officials when he was beaten 14-4 by Kenyan Peter Mungai in Milan on Saturday night.

It’s feared the Belfast boxer could now be handed a five-year ban by world body AIBA, effectively ending his amateur career and bid for gold at London 2012.

Before the decision was announced in the Mediolanum Forum, Barnes ripped off one of his gloves and kicked it out of the ring.

Ushered back into the ring to hear the decision, Barnes then protested again and gestured to a section of the crowd who were booing him.

Irish coach Billy Walsh said: “There's no excuse for what he did. From you're 10 years of age you are told that this sport is all about discipline and respecting your opponent. The image of the sport is at stake.

“The world body are very tough when it comes to discipline and I wholeheartedly back them on that. There was a real threat the whole team could have been thrown out because it has happened before with other teams, such as the Romanian team at the last World Championships.”

Irish president Dominic O'Rourke told Barnes yesterday morning he would be going home and that further discipline awaited from the IABA, never mind the world governing body AIBA.

“This sport is all about discipline and there is no way that we can allow things like this to happen. Paddy has let himself and his coaches down very badly,” he said.

“He could now face discipline from the world body but I just hope that the fact we have acted so swiftly to discipline will help.”

Sourced from: The Belfast Telegraph