Billy Walsh (boxer)

{{short description|Irish boxer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Billy Walsh

| full_name = William Thomas Walsh

| image =

| caption =

| nationality = Irish

| sport = Boxing

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|7|3|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Manchester, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

}}

William Thomas Walsh (born 3 July 1963) is an Irish former boxer who is currently the Head Coach of USA Boxing. Raised in Wexford, he competed in the men's welterweight event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wa/billy-walsh-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418055625/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wa/billy-walsh-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Billy Walsh |accessdate=5 January 2019}}

Walsh was appointed head coach of the Irish High Performance Boxing programme in 2003 and was at the helm of Irish boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics, guiding them to seven medals, bookmarked by Katie Taylor's gold in London.{{cite web|url=https://www.irish-boxing.com/irelands-mind-boggling-medal-record-billy-walsh/ |title=Ireland's mind-boggling medal record under Billy Walsh |work=Irish Boxing |date=20 October 2015 |access-date=30 June 2021}} He was headhunted by USA Boxing after the U.S. men went home without a medal for the first time in their history.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/olympics/2016/08/14/usa-boxing-billy-walsh-rio-olympics|title=Billy Walsh a huge part of USA boxing's turnaround|first=Richard|last=O'Brien|magazine=Sports Illustrated}}

In 2016 Walsh was awarded the International Boxing Association 'Coach of the Year'.{{Cite news |date=21 December 2016 |title=Billy Walsh named world boxing coach of the year |url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/boxing/2016/1221/840488-walsh-named-world-boxing-coach-of-the-year/ |work=RTE News |via=www.rte.ie}}

He is the uncle of fellow boxer Dean Walsh.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-17 |title=Wexford boxer's comeback story is an 'inspiration for young people going through hard times' |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/wexford-district/wexford-boxers-comeback-story-is-an-inspiration-for-young-people-going-through-hard-times/a2119046012.html |access-date=2024-01-17 |website=Independent.ie |language=en}}