HOST CITY CHANGE FOR MEN’S WORLD ELITES

Joe Ward

 

The 2019 World Men’s Elite Championships, originally scheduled for Sochi, Russia, will now be hosted almost 3,000 kilometres away in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

The tournament, the 20th edition of the competition since the inaugural event at Havana 1974 runs from September 7 to 27.

The 2019 World Women’s Elite Championships will also be hosted in Russia.

The test gets underway in Ulad-Ude in eastern Siberia on October 3 and runs until October 13.

There has been a relatively short turn around for the Women’s Worlds – traditionally a biennial event along with its male equivalent – with the sport heading into the qualifiers for Tokyo 2020.

Kellie Harrington claimed her first World Elite lightweight title in New Delhi last November.

Meanwhile, the first big outing of 2019 for Irish boxing is the European Games in Belarus this summer.

Boxing at the multi-sport event starts in Minsk on June 21.

According to the above fixture list and the EUBC fixtures, the tournament will double up as the European Men’s Elite Championships.

Women’s will box in the five Olympic weights, fly, feather, light, welter and middle, in Minsk, according to the EUBC.

Joe Ward, pictured above, is the defending European Elite light heavy champion.