Ward claims junior title in Armenia
09/0531/1224247803193.html
Sunday, May 31, 2009, 13:44
Boxing : Former IABA President Breandan O’Conaire believes that Joe
Ward will be one of the ones to watch in the lead up to the 2012
Olympic Games in London.
Ward, from the Moate club in Co Westmeath, became the third Irish boxer
in the last eight months ‘ following in the footsteps of Katie Taylor
and Ray Moylette ‘ to claim a world title.
The Irish champ won gold at the AIBA World Junior Championships on
Saturday after a three round tour de force versus Armenian
light-middleweight Hayk Khachatryan in Yerevan, Armenia.
The scheduled three rounder was stopped six seconds from the final bell
after Ward, who was 16-1 up, obliged Khachatryan, courtesy of a
thudding right, to take a second standing count.
Saturday’s win was the Westmeath teenager’s third inside the distance ‘
he halted opponents for Kazakhstan and Russia in his previous fights ‘
triumph in four bouts at the Sports Complex in Yerevan.
And O’Conaire, who was in Yerevan as an AIBA Technical Officer in
charge of selecting refs and judges for all contests, was impressed.
He said: `In the final, similar to all his previous bouts, he gave an
impeccable performance. His movement, balance, selection of punches and
tactics were excellent.
`Against
the local champion in the final, with the huge crowd cheering
for a second gold medal for Armenia, Joe was as cool and focused as if
he was boxing at a local tournament in Moate.
`If he continues building on these skills and temperament he can be a
definite possibility for London 2012.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
