Young Athlone boxers gearing up for Leinster championships
Talented young boxers from Athlone Boxing Club are getting ready for an important few weeks, with six of the club's representatives set to compete in the Leinster championships.
Three of the teenage boxers at the club, Rian Hayden, Christy Joyce, and Tom Stokes, are to compete in the Boy 4, and Youth 1 and 2 age categories at the Leinster championships taking place in Portlaoise Boxing Club tomorrow (Saturday, February 4).
Then, later in February, Willie Stokes, Joe Ward (Jr) and Oisin Donoghue are getting ready to box in the provincial championships at the Boy 1 and Boy 3 age grades.
Weigh-ins for these younger age groups will take place on February 12, with the boxing to follow in Enniscorthy on February 18 and 19.
Professional light heavyweight Joe Ward, who assists coach Rory Parkes at the Athlone club, said it's the first time in years that the club will be sending this many boxers to compete at Leinster championship level.
"The club is absolutely buzzing at the moment," said Joe.
"We have around 60 members who are coming down and training under St Peter and Paul's Church on Tuesday and Thursday nights, but we would still be open to new members if people are interested in coming down and getting involved."
Some of the boxers are travelling from Longford and Ballinasloe to train with the Athlone club. Sparring for the Athlone members has also been arranged in recent times with boxers from other clubs in Westmeath, Offaly, Sligo, Galway and Mayo.
Joe, whose eldest son, Joe Jr, will be boxing in his first Leinster championships at the youngest, Boy 1, grade, expressed his thanks to Carey's pub in Athlone which is providing sponsorship to the boxers heading to the Leinster championships.
The club has also teamed up with Eric Kilmartin and Claire Griffin of Inksane tattoo artists, on Church Street, Athlone, who will be doing a day of flash tattoos in aid of the club in their tattoo studio this Sunday (February 5). Each flash tattoo will cost €50, with all of the proceeds going towards the purchase of new equipment for the club.
In his own professional boxing career, Joe Ward rounded off 2022 with a points win over Frederic Julan in New York's Madison Square Garden in December.
It was recently confirmed that his next fight would take place in Quebec, Canada, on March 16.
He will be boxing on the undercard of an IBF light heavyweight eliminator between Haitian-born Canadian boxer Jean Pascal and German Michael Eifert.
The event will take place in Place Bell, an ice hockey arena in Laval, a suburb of Montreal.
Joe Ward's opponent for the March bout will be Mario Andrade Rodriguez, a 25-year-old Mexican who has an unbeaten record after seven professional fights but will be fighting outside of his home country for the first time.