Victory for Ward as O'Neill's debut ends in a draw

Joe Ward defeated veteran Mexican opponent Oscar Riojas in his latest professional boxing outing in the United States last Friday.

It was a fifth round stoppage win for the Moate man in a fight which took place in Des Plaines, on the outskirts of Chicago.

The fight had originally been scheduled to take place in Quebec, Canada, but was postponed at short notice due to an issue with Ward's opponent.

Last Friday night's rearranged contest with Riojas was the eighth fight of Ward's pro career, and his first scheduled eight-round contest.

Meanwhile, Athlone's Cheyanne O'Neill made her pro debut at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow last Friday night, with her fight against Lithuanian opponent Vaida Masiokaite ending in a draw.

O'Neill would have been expected to overcome the Lithuanian - who had just two wins and four draws from her previous 22 pro fights - but the Athlone woman will now hope that the experience will stand to her in future outings.

Cheyanne is a member of the Defence Forces who served on a tour of duty in Lebanon last year. The 25-year-old announced in January that she was turning professional.

As an amateur, O'Neill won national championships in several age categories and represented Ireland on a number of occasions, including winning silver at the European Youth Championships in Italy in 2014.