On his way to guaranteeing himself a medal at the World Championships, Joe Ward left his mark on Nikita Ivanov.
It was a mixed day for the Irish lads over in Almaty today. It started off great, with Donegal’s Jason Quigley guaranteeing himself at least a bronze medal after he defeated Zoltan Harcsa in his middleweight quarter-final. That’s now 31 consecutive wins in the ring for Quigley, and two more will make him a world champion.
Things then took a turn for the worse as Michael Conlon, Tommy McCarthy and Paddy Barnes all lost their quarter-final bouts, and it is a measure of our standing in the sport that we are bitterly disappointed with last eight defeats these days.
Finally, the day ended on a high as light-heavyweight Joe Ward stopped his foe Nikita Ivanov inside the opening round, leaving a big gash over the defeated Russian’s left eye (below).
The win also guaranteed the Moate boxer, who is still only 19, at least a bronze medal at these championships and he will fight reigning champ Julio Peraza of Cuba in the semi-final on Friday.
