Joyce makes apb debut on friday

Westmeath boxers David Oliver Joyce and Joe Ward will make their debuts in the groundbreaking AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) Series this Friday in Kazakhstan.

A new departure in the world of boxing, the professional competition brings together boxers from across the world to battle it out for places at Rio 2016 with two slots up for grabs in each division.

Ward and Joyce are the only two Irish boxers to sign up for the unique professional series which allows participants to retain their Olympic eligibility. However, they have had to forgo the chance to retain their national titles. The pre-ranking stage of the competition will run until the end of January before the tournament proper gets underway in March 2015.

Three time European champion Joyce is up against home favourite  Berik Abdrakhmanov, who he beat in final of the Chemistry Cup in Germany in May, while Ward is reacquainted with Russian Nikita Ivanov. The Moate boxer bested Ivanov in the 2011 European Elite final and two years later in the quarter-final of the AIBA World Elites.

A veteran of three World Series of Boxing tournaments, Joyce is excited by the format of the APB – each bout consists of six rounds.

“I enjoyed competing in the World Series and I believe that the longer rounds in APB will suit my style. It will be tough going to Kazakhstan looking for a result against a Kazakh opponent, but I’ve prepared very well.”

Both boxers will have their Ireland coaches Billy Walsh and Zuari Antia in their corners on Friday.