Joyce makes Olympic debut on Sunday night

With the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games taking place this evening, the countdown is well and truly on for local boxers David Oliver Joyce and Joe Ward.

Mullingar native Joyce takes on Andrique Allisop from the Seychelles at 9.30pm (GMT) on Sunday night for a place in the final 16 of the 60kg competition and will be confident of securing a victory in his first Olympic appearance.

Light heavyweight Ward, who got a bye into the last 16, will take on the winner of Germany's Serge Michel and Ecuador's Carlos Andres Mina at 11.15pm (GMT) on Wednesday night.

Moate native Ward won his first national senior title as a 17 year old in 2011 when he shocked the reigning Irish champion and Olympic silver medalist Kenny Egan in the final.

If the below video is anything to go by, it won't be too long until we see his four year old son, also named Joe, making a name for himself in the ring too.

http://youtu.be/Xbqcvaicl0o