Olympic bronze medal winner Aidan Walsh claims he can make the world championships despite suffering an ankle fracture in Tokyo.
Walsh, 24, suffered the injury while celebrating in the ring after guaranteeing himself the welterweight bronze.
Recovery time from a fractured ankle is six weeks minimum and the Worlds take place in Belgrade from October 26 to November 6.
But before that the national championships take place in around 10 days time and it's possible that if he enters that and subsequently has to cry off, he will be given time by the IABA to be ready for Belgrade.
However the Belfast boxer says he'll be ready for the nationals. “Of course, yeah," he stated.
"The standard in Ireland is so high and if you want to go to tournaments, you have to win your national elite so I’m planning on entering them, yeah.
“Every boxer has been checked since we’ve been back by doctors and physios for rehab, it’s all been going brilliant and the ankle is as strong as ever.
"I’ve done everything right and I know at this level if I want to move forward and progress my career then I have to do everything right.
"I had to tick all the boxes and do everything asked of me. I have been. The injury is recovered now and good to go.
"I’m out of the boot, I’m able to train now. As I said, I’ve done everything asked of me and I’ve recovered well.
"The reason is because straight after the injury I was still planning on fighting so we dealt with it straight away and the doctors and physios helped with it. I think that’s why I recovered so well.”
Walsh added that he is ready to embrace the fact that all-comers will want to take down an Olympic medallist.
“No pressure," he remarked. "No-one knows what’s going to happen in boxing, you always have to remain on your A game.
"That’s the most important thing. You can’t rest on your laurels type of thing. You have to keep improving and adapting.
“There’s always people coming up from out of the woodwork and I was one of them two years ago coming into the elites.
"Like anything in life, if you want to get better you have to keep improving yourself.”
Walsh's sister Michaela, who also boxed at the Olympics, is back in training with the world championships the next target.
A date is yet to be set for the worlds, but most likely will take place around the end of November or start of December.
"When I came home I had a bit of down time with my family having been away for so long but back training, tipping over, and just waiting on the world championships to be announced," said the 27-year-old.
"I know they were supposed to be in October but I doubt that now since they haven’t been announced so I’m just waiting to get word back on that. That’s the next focus now, and then the Commonwealths next year."
Michaela said that the feeling of competing in Tokyo hadn't yet fully sunk in but admitted it was still "a bit strange" to be more recognised around Belfast.
"To say that you went to an Olympic Games, a childhood dream of mine, it's just a phenomenal achievement," she said.
"Then obviously seeing the brother win a medal was brilliant and seeing gold win gold was something that inspired me. It was just amazing to be there and see what it was like so I will take that experience with me going forward.”
After her last 16 defeat in the 57kg division, Walsh said that the disappointment wouldn't define her.
“No, 100%," she commented. "Listen, at the end of the day boxing is still only a sport. There is so much more to life than boxing.
"For me, the main thing is that I'm happy. As the saying is, a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter and that’s what I have always tried to be in every aspect of my life.
"As long as I am happy in what I am doing then the rest takes care of itself.”
