Joe Ward
Three-time European champion Joe Ward weighed-in for tonight’s World Elite semi-final in Hamburg, Germany this morning.
Ward meets Uzbekistan’s Bektimer Melikuziev in an all southpaw light-heavy clash with the winner facing either Cuba’s defending champion Julio De la Cruz or Ecuador’s Carlos Mina in Saturday’s 81kg final.
Ward and Melikuziev,who has moved up to light-heavy since losing the 2016 Olympic middleweight final to Cuba’s Arlen Lopez who crashed out of Hamburg at the quarter-final stage to Kazakhstan’s Abikhan Amankul on Tuesday,will be in the ring at approximately 7pm tonight (Irish time).
This morning marks the third consecutive occasion that Ward,the Irish captain in Hamburg,has weighed-in at this stage of proceedings at the World Elites.The Moate BC man claimed bronze in 2013 and silver in 2016 at the flagship tournament of amateur boxing.
Meantime, the first of the 2017 last-four bouts were decided last night. Five batches of semi-finals were resolved.
Athletes from Cuba (3), Kazakhstan (2), Uzbekistan (2), Russia, Ukraine and USA upgraded their guaranteed bronze medals to at least silver last evening.
So far, Russia and the Ukraine are the only European nations through to the gold medal deciders.
Boxing begins at 5pm today in Hamburg.
World Elite Championships Hamburg, Germany
August 25th
(Last 32)
56kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) lost to Leonel De Los Santos (Dominican Republic) 1-4
64kg Sean McComb (Ireland) beat Joedison De Jesus (Brazil) 4-1
August 26th
(Last 32)
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Ireland) beat Hyeon Do Kim (Korea) 5-0
August 27th
(Last 16)
64kg Sean McComb (Ireland) lost to Andy Cruz-Gomez (Cuba) 0-5
August 28th
(Last 16)
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) lost to Inkyu Kim (Korea) 0-5
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Iago Kizira (Georgia) 5-0
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Ireland) lost to Cristian Salcedo (Columbia) 2-3
August 29th
Q/Final
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Mikhail Dauhaliavets (Belarus) 5-0
September 1st
S/Finals
81kg Joe Ward (Ireland) v Bektimer Melikuziev (Uzbekistan)
81kg Julio de la Cruz (Cuba) v Carlos Mina (Ecuador)
Irish squad
52kg Brendan Irvine (St Paul’s)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
64kg Sean McComb (Holy Trinity)
81kg Joe Ward (Moate) cpt (Bronze, at least)
91+kg Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Team manager/High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan and Dmitry Dimitruc
Doctor: Jim Clover
Physio: Seamus Caffrey
Performance Analysis: Alan Swanton