Joe Ward set for 'biggest test yet' in outdoor fight at Galway GAA stadium
Joe Ward is gearing up for what he expects will be his toughest test yet as a professional boxer when he steps into the ring at Pearse Stadium in Galway next month.
The Moate native will be one of the top attractions on a night of boxing at the GAA ground in Salthill, which will be headlined by Oughterard's Kieran Molloy on Saturday, June 28.
Presented by GBM Sports and broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN, the event will see Ward take on Londoner Lerrone Richards, a former British, Commonwealth and European champion, and former IBO world super middleweight champion.
Richards (32) is moving up from super middleweight to Ward's light heavyweight division, and boasts a record of 18 wins and just one defeat.
For Ward (31), this will be his first fight since recording a win in Dublin's National Stadium last October, and he told the Westmeath Independent he was excited about getting the chance to face a prominent fighter like Richards.
"This is a great opportunity for me," he said this afternoon (Monday). "A fight like this is what I've really wanted, because I've been calling out the British guys at the 175kg division, the likes of Joshua Buatsi, Lyndon Arthur, and all the top guys.
"To fight someone like Lerrone Richards, who's just moving up to the light heavyweight division, is going to be a great opportunity for me to showcase what I can do. He's a former British, Commonwealth and European champion, and former IBO world super middleweight champion.
"It's a good challenge for me, but I really believe I will knock him out. I believe I'm a better fighter all round, but it's definitely the toughest fight I've had to date."
A two-time world medallist and three-time European champion as an amateur, Ward turned professional in 2019 and has a record of 12 wins and one defeat, with eight of his wins coming inside the distance.
"This is the sort of fight that I've wanted, and if I win in devastating fashion on June 28 it will put me right up there at the world level," he commented.
"I believe it's my time now, and I plan to make waves in the way that I take care of business on June 28. It can help open doors for me to fight the top, top guys in the world at the 175kg division."
Ward said the broadcasting of his fight on DAZN, and the large crowd expected at Pearse Stadium, represented a "massive platform" for him.
"It's in an outdoor stadium in Galway, which is making history. I don't think that's ever been done before. Just to be part of that, as one of the main fights of the night, is great for me and great for Irish boxing.
"It's a platform for us to show how good we are, and what we can do."
Discussing his preparations for the bout, the local man said he had just returned from two weeks in the UK, where he was sparring with Callum Simpson, a British super middleweight who is boxing for the European title on June 7.
"Everything went really well over there. I'm now doing a two-week training camp in Waterford, and them I'm going to Spain to finish off my training.
"So the next five weeks will be a busy time, putting the work in, but it's all going to pay off come June 28 in Salthill."
He said he was hopeful of attracting good support from Athlone and Moate for the upcoming fight, and he has a number of physical tickets for the fight which can be purchased by contacting him via Facebook or Instagram.
The main event will see the unbeaten Kieran Molloy take on former British title challenger Kaisee Benjamin for the WBA Europe welterweight belt.