Sports award for Irish and European boxing champion Joe Ward

Considering his sensational success in recent years, it's no surprise that Moate boxer Joe Ward has featured prominently in the Westmeath Independent/Hodson Bay Hotel Sports Awards. And it's no different this year with the 17-year-old chosen as the award winner for June, when he memorably won the European senior boxing title. Ward saw off opposition from Estonia, Italy and Hungary, before defeating Russian Nikita Ivanov in the European light-heavyweight (81 kgs) final in Ankara, Turkey. That remarkable European gold medal success followed on from the Moate teenager being crowned national senior champion last February. In a stunning triumph, the Moate fighter defeated Olympic silver medallist and ten-time national senior champion Kenny Egan in the National Senior Championship final. In the aftermath of Ward's gold medal at the European championships, controversy erupted when the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) announced that the Irish senior champions would have to compete in a box-off competition ensure their place on the national team for the World Championships in September. The World Championships serve as the main Olympic Games qualifier. The box-offs are expected to be unseeded and run on a straight knockout basis. Only one boxer for each weight division can represent Ireland at the World Championships, so defeat at any point in the box-offs would spell the end of Ward's Olympic dream. Previously, it was believed that the ten Irish champions would automatically progress to compete at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Speaking when accepting his Westmeath Independent/Hodson Bay Hotel sports award earlier this week, Ward was clearly still frustrated about the prospect of the box-offs. "They are definitely making it hard to qualify for the Olympics. The Irish coach Billy Walsh said earlier in the year that there would be no box-offs, but it seems he has been over-ruled. They have everyone confused," said Ward. By winning in Turkey, Ward joined an elite collection of Irish boxers to have won gold medals at the European Championships. Asked about his European success, Ward said it was the "highlight" of his career to date, describing it as "a different level" to his previous successes. He said he felt the pressure was off when was guaranteed at least a bronze medal at the European Championships. In 2010, Ward won the World Youth Championship in Azerbaijan, thereby claiming Ireland's only gold medal from the World Youth Championships. The previous year, Ward won a World Junior Championship boxing title.