Ward to represent Ireland in upcoming French bout
JOE Ward is among a selection of elite Irish boxers selected to represent the nation in an upcoming international contest against France.
In association with the IABA, Platinum One is bringing Ireland’s Olympic Medal winning team to Millstreet in Cork on Friday, May 3 for the first-leg of the two-match international, when all of Ireland’s medal winners will compete, with the bill topped by gold medal hero Katie Taylor.
The event is unusual in that the international is being staged over two nights, the first in Cork and the second in Belfast on Sunday, May 5. There will be a total of 14 bouts over the two nights and each night there will be six male bouts, with Taylor and her French opponent, Estelle Moselly (a quarter-finalist in last year’s World Championships) topping the bill. The international match will be decided on the aggregate score over the two nights and in the event of a tie, a count-back of all scores will determine the winner. The full French team will be confirmed within the next few weeks.
The full Irish team for Fight Night One in Cork will comprise the five male boxers who competed in London; Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, John Joe Nevin, Darren O’Neill, Adam Nolan and the man who so controversially missed out on the Games and recently crowned Irish light-heavyweight champion (for a third year running), Moate’s Joe Ward. The team will be led in by Katie Taylor.
IABA President, Tommy Murphy said: “This international comes just after our boxers complete a period of intense preparation culminating in a two-week training camp in Kazakhstan, so they will be in peak condition. The French team see the match as key preparation for the European Finals in June. The Odyssey Arena in Belfast will host the second leg of the international on Sunday, May 5.