Bernard Dunne has stressed the importance of creating a safe environment for Irish boxers amid growing concerns of the influence MTK wield over the professional sport in this country.
After a week in which the influence of Daniel Kinahan over MTK was brought to a wider audience, former world champion boxer Bernard Dunne has stressed the importance of putting structures in place that will allow young boxers to thrive in and out of the ring.
Kinahan has been described in the Irish High Court as the leader of the Kinahan organised crime group and but has no criminal convictions and strongly denies being involved in organised crime.
"I think it is hugely important that those who run the world federations," he explained to OTB Sports, "be it amateur or professional, set out rules and regulations which protect and safeguard all of our young athletes and older athletes for guys that are already professional.
"There needs to be very clear guidelines on making sure that what they earn is theirs, and making sure that their careers are being well looked after."
| We need to make sure Ireland's potential future world champions are guided in the right way... |
Bernard Dunne offers his reaction to the fallout from BBC Panorama's boxing probe.
Tune into Friday's #OTBAM for the full in-depth interview 🥊 pic.twitter.com/MerHAwKVkz— Off The Ball (@offtheball) February 4, 2021
On Monday night, a BBC Panorama documentary detailed the influential role Kinahan and MTK play in the lives and careers of many prominent British and Irish boxers.
Despite claims made by MTK Global President Bob Yalen last year that Kinahan had 'taken time away from the sport', Monday's documentary revealed that the Dublin native is still working alongside some of the group's most prominent fighters in an advisory capacity.
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Although numerous figures from the world of boxing who had encountered or worked with Kinahan refused to partake in the documentary, Barry McGuigan, the former world champion and current manager who has lost a number of his boxers to MTK, spoke out publicly.
"I think with Barry's situation I know he went through a recent court case himself," Dunne noted, McGuigan having recently settled a case with his former client and current MTK boxer Carl Frampton.
"Barry was a phenomenal boxer and was a huge inspiration to me. I remember having a photograph with him when I was 5 in a gym in Dublin, saying I wanted to be like him some day a champion of the world."
Bernard Dunne at the launch of the ‘Indeed Career Coach’ programme - Picture INPHO/Morgan TreacyKeep an eye out for the full interview with former world champion Bernard Dunne on Friday's OTB AM
