World Youth champion Joe Ward will meet Kenny Egan in the Light-Heavyweight final at the Elite National Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin , next Friday, 25th February.
Ward, who boxes out of the Moate BC in Westmeath, beat Davey Joe Joyce 8-2 to set up the 81Kg duel with Egan in the IABA’s Centenary year.
Egan, 28, will be aiming for an unprecedented 11th Irish Senior title in a row next Friday, but 17-year-old Ward, who claimed an AIBA World Junior title in Armenia in 2009 before winning AIBA World Youth gold in Azerbaijan last year, is aiming to cause an upset. Ward said ” Ive sparred with Kenny before at the National Stadium training sessions. I believe it will be a close fight and I can come out on the right side”
(Pictured Joe Ward with coaches Jimmy Payne and Jim Moore at the World Youth Championships 2010)
Note: Ward was a member of the Irish Olympic Youth Team at the 2010 World Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last August, but broke a bone in his hand in his first bout.
National Finals schedule announced: start 7.45pm
RED CORNER BLUE CORNER
1. 49kg Evan Metcalfe (Crumlin) V Paddy Barnes (Holy Family GG)
2. 52kg Michael Conlan (St John Bosco) V Christopher Phelan (Ryston)
3. 56kg John Joe Nevin (Cavan) V Tyrone McCullagh (Holy Family GG)
4. 60kg Katie Taylor (Bray) W/O
5. 60kg Michael McDonagh (St Marys Dublin) V David Oliver Joyce (St Michaels Athy)
6. 64kg Ross Hickey (Grangecon/Army) V Philip Sutcliffe (Crumlin)
7. 69kg Karl Brabazon (St Saviours OBA) V Adam Nolan (Bray)
8. 75kg Patricia Roddy (Bray) V Sinead Kavangh (Drimnagh)
9. 75kg Darren O Neill (Paulstown) V Jason Quigley (Finn Valley)
10. 81kg Kenneth Egan (Neilstown) V Joe Ward (Moate)
11. 91kg Con Sheehan (Clonmel) V Patrick Corcoran (Olympic)
12. 91+ Cathal McMonagle (Holy Trinity) V Kenneth Okungbowa (Athlone)
