Moate's Joe Ward wins gold at European championships

Moate's Joe Ward has won a gold medal at the European Boxing Championships in Turkey. The 17-year-old produced an excellent display of counterpunching to defeat Russian Nikita Ivanov in the light-heavyweight final. Ivanov was the aggressor for much of the contest but Ward consistently landed the cleaner punches. The Westmeath man led 7-3 after the first round, and extended his lead to 15-6 following a second round in which his opponent was penalised for a low blow. The Russian shaded the third and final round but Ward had done enough to secure a memorable eight-point victory. Earlier this year he defeated the 2008 Olympic silver-medal winner Kenny Egan to become Irish champion. Today's victory, Ward's first major international championship win as a senior boxer, is the pinnacle of his superb career to date. He is one of two Irish gold medal winners at these championships following the victory of Westport's Ray Moylette in the light-welterweight category.