Irish boxer Paddy Barnes has never been known to be the shy and retiring type, and late on Friday night the Belfast man took to his Twitter account to set the record straight on recent remarks he made about the funding of the sport in Ireland.
Barnes, who won medals at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, recently remarked that he may be forced to turn professional, due to the lack of funding available to amateurs in Ireland, and the facilities, which he likened to a "1970s gym".
His complaints fell on deaf ears as far as the Minister for Sport was concerned, with Michael Ring suggesting that Barnes should be grateful for the money he has received to date from the Irish taxpayer.
Barnes is no stranger to returning a jab though, and countered by suggesting that Minister Ring had received substantially more money from the Irish taxpayer, with considerably less to show for it.
Last night, Barnes sought to clarify that it is not money for himself that he was after, but better funding for the sport in general, pointing out that while yes, it is an amateur sport, it is the country's most successful one.
