Mystery death of America's Cup Kiwi

'Paulie' was found dead in his Valencia apartment last Sunday. Photo / Supplied

Grieving family, friends and former clients of Auckland fitness and boxing trainer Paul Wallbank are baffled by the healthy 37-year-old's sudden death.

Wallbank, known as Paulie to his friends, was found dead in his Valencia apartment last Sunday by his former girlfriend a week after he was laid off by the BMW Oracle America's Cup syndicate.

Family and friends say the redundancy would not have been a major blow to the former boxing identity who helped train David Tua. He had been expecting to lose his job during a round of redundancies late last year.

The latest layoffs came as the team, backed by software billionaire Larry Ellison, was downsized before moving to San Diego for the next America's Cup.

Speaking from Austria last night, Oracle skipper and chief executive Russell Coutts said Wallbank's death had hit the team hard. The past week had been "very hard".

"It is very, very sad because it was so unexpected and he was so close with so many members of the team."

Last week Coutts spoke at a memorial service for Wallbank in Valencia. The service was connected by conference call to colleagues around the world and to Wallbank's family in New Zealand.

Wallbank's father Terry said his son, nicknamed "Energiser", loved Valencia. He planned to stay to set up a training gym with Kiwi Olympic sailor Carl "Tiny" Williams, another Oracle member made redundant.

Terry said he had spoken at length with several of his son's team-mates in Valencia but the autopsy results would not be known for a month.

"According to the guys, everything was perfectly normal. At this stage it is a mystery."

Oracle had been "absolutely marvellous" and had offered to fly the family to Valencia.

Through an interpreter provided by Oracle, Wallbank's Spanish former girlfriend, who remained a close friend, told the family he had spent much of the day playing table tennis with friends.

He returned to the apartment to have dinner, went to bed early and in the morning she found he had died in his sleep.

Wallbank, a keen sailor, joined Oracle in Spain as a trainer in 2006 during the Chris Dickson era.

After Dickson left following a devastating 5-1 loss to Luna Rossa in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup, Wallbank went too.

He was rehired by Grant Davidson, another New Zealander and operations and logistics manager for BMW Oracle's shore crew.

Coutts said Wallbank had accompanied Oracle members to events around the world and was well known within the international sailing fraternity. He travelled back to New Zealand with Oracle this year for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.

Before his work with America's Cup sailors, Wallbank was closely involved with training New Zealand's boxing elite. He helped David Tua, Maselino Masoe, Danny Codling, Sam Leuii and Faii Falamoe working with Kevin Barry at Les Mills in Auckland.

Wallbank also worked as a personal trainer to a string of high-profile businessmen - whom one executive nicknamed "Paulie's $10 million men" - including Eric Watson and Billy Boyd. Those who trained with him say Wallbank was motivated, passionate about boxing, upbeat and extremely fit, often starting his day at 5am.

A keen golfer, cyclist and tennis player, he tackled all sports with equal enthusiasm.

Auckland businessman John Murphy, who trained with Wallbank between 1998 and 2006, said he and a group of friends would take him on holiday to resorts so they could keep up their daily training. "Pretty soon he would be running the holiday."

OGGI Advertising managing director Gordon Frykberg trained with Wallbank up to four times a week.

"He took what he did seriously and he was very proud of what he did."

Speaking from Las Vegas, Kevin Barry said he was "shocked" by Wallbank's death. The men had become close friends when they worked together. "He lived life fast and died far too young."

Coutts and four other Oracle members - James Spithill, Carl Williams, Joe Spooner and team physiotherapist David Abercrombie - will accompany Wallbank's body back to New Zealand for this week's funeral.