Ex-Irish League teen reminded Belfast boxing coach of Vasiliy Lomachenko

Young Northern Ireland footballer Rhys Walsh is quickly making a name for himself at Sunderland, but he could easily have been a big star in the world of boxing.

That's according to his uncle Dee Walsh, the Belfast boxing coach who trains fighters including Padraig McCrory and Conor Quinn.

Walsh's nephew Rhys progressed through the ranks at Glentoran's Academy before earning a move to Sunderland back in February.

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The 17-year-old joined the Black Cats for an undisclosed fee after impressing at the Oval, the youngster agreeing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the English Championship side.

Rhys was a keen amateur boxer, and the early signs were positive. One of his fights earned him Boxer of the Night, with Dee even comparing his nephew's natural talent to pound-for-pound legend Vasiliy Lomachenko.

"He was into the boxing when he was young. He had one amateur fight and was boxer of the night," Dee told Belfast Live.

"This will sound insane, but he reminded me of Lomachenko. Just everything about him oozed class.

"Rhys was a freak of nature back then. He had a six-pack when he was four. He was built like a tank. And everything he did he was good at.

"I remember three years in a row he got seven gold medals out of seven at his school sports day. And then he got boxer of the night after that fight, but his daddy took him out because Rhys was so good at football and that was the career path he chose.

"There was no point him doing both and risk getting injured, and potentially ending both sports.

"But our Rhys could have been a brilliant boxer. He is arguably the best kid I ever saw at that age. He was about eight or nine at the time and was a member of St John Bosco."

Despite that early promises inside the ring, it was Rhys' daddy Jim who guided his son down the football path. And it has proved a wise decision.

The youngster had already made his senior Glentoran debut by the time he moved to Sunderland earlier this year. Last season he made six appearances for the Glens, including three in the NIFL Premiership and one in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying round.

"His daddy was taking him to Glentoran twice a week and Rhys was also involved with the Northern Ireland underage teams. Rhys would have had a match on the Saturday, and maybe another academy trip on top of that," Dee said.

"It was six days a week, and his daddy did this after working a 10-hour shift. Thankfully it is all paying off.

"Rhys was one of those kids who wouldn't stop moving. And he is a brilliant kid. He is respectful and well-mannered. He is quiet and keeps himself to himself.

"His friends are also with clubs across the water, so he has kept good company with people who have similar ambitions and dreams.

"Rhys has settled in and is loving Sunderland. He loves the place. He is only 17 but has really fitted in well, and he enjoys every day. Sunderland is a great club to be at.

"Carl Winchester played there for a while. I know Carl and his brother Jude very well. I was chatting to Carl about it and he said how much he loved Sunderland as well."

Dee added: "The world is his oyster. Nowadays clubs don't just look for talent. It's speed, endurance, things like that. And staying injury-free. And Rhys has been clocking up some incredible figures since joining Sunderland.

"I would love to see him continue on this upward trajectory. Sunderland place a big focus on performance levels and he is banging home the stats and results.

"He is playing Under 21s as well, and fair play to him because he is a hugely dedicated kid."

Dee says he often wonders how good Rhys could have been at boxing if he had opted to take that career path.

"I think about it all the time. I just know he would have excelled," he says.

"Any time Rhys is home I take him on the pads. You can tell the talent is there.

"I see people in boxing who don't have talent, but they are fighters and they do their best. Rhys is talented.

"Honestly, if you asked Rhys to do three back flips and a right hand, he would do it. And perfectly, too.

"I have kids in the club who can do that. Perfection straight away. And that takes talent.

"Dedication gets you far, and Rhys has that. And his daddy Jim deserves a lot of praise because he has dedicated a lot of his own life to Rhys' football career."

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