The Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) has declined an offer to stage its delayed national light welterweight final between Francie Barrett (Olympic Galway) and Seanie Barrett of Cork's Rylane club on a professional bill arranged for the National Stadium next month.

Saturday's meeting of the standing committee of the IABA instead opted to put the bout on as part of the Ireland/Sweden international fixed for the stadium on April 30th. The president of the IABA said that an O'Conaire's, the president of the association said: comments. "The professional ranks have taken three of our best Olympic prospects away from us in the run-up to the Sydney Olympics. A lesson is to be learned here. The professional promoters have not given one penny towards getting these boxers to the stage they are at now," he said.

Referring to the seven-bout Ireland/US match at the National Stadium last Friday O'Conaire said that the defections almost led to the collapse of the show. In future boxers who are named to box in an international must have a reasonable explanation for not being able to box, otherwise they will not be considered for a subsequent international.

The team to box against Sweden will consist of reigning champions with possible call-ups for champions who were selected against the US, but did not show.