Joyce to box for Miami at World Series

Irish senior champion John Joe Joyce has signed with Miami Gallos in the World Series of Boxing (WSB).

The 23-year-old welterweight flew out to the USA this morning to team up with the Florida side in the WSB Americas group.

Joyce, nicknamed Triple J, will join his Irish team-mate Ken Egan at Miami Gallos on a one-year contract.

The four-time Irish senior champion and Egan were part of the five-man squad that claimed Ireland's only medals (one silver, two bronze) at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Joyce, who boxes out of the St Michael's Athy club in Kildare, was eliminated on a countback at the last-16 stage in Beijing to Felix Diaz of the Dominican Republic, who went on to win gold in the light-welterweight category.

Joyce said: 'I'm looking forward to meeting the Miami team and hopefully I can do well for Miami when I'm there. The World Series of Boxing is a new direction for me and it promises to be very exciting.'

Miami Gallos are competing in a four-team WSB group, which includes Los Angeles Matadors, Memphis Force and Mexico City Guerreros.

LA are presently top of the table, four points ahead of Miami. Both sides are due to meet in back-to-back fixtures on 13 and 27 January.

The winners in the Americas, Asian and European WSB groups - which will be decided over 12 matches - plus the best runners up qualify for the WSB semi-finals.

Meanwhile, John Joe Nevin's Paris United side and Milan are joint top of the European group.

Both sides recorded convincing 4-1 wins over Istanbulls and Kremlin Bears (Moscow) last weekend and are tied on 13 points after five matches ahead of back-to-back meetings this month.

Paris have a slight two bout advantage - WSB boxing's equivalent of goal difference - at the top of the table.

Belfast middleweight Eamon O'Kane joined Milan last week and could be selected to meet Paris, who will have Nevin in their line up, when both sides clash in Paris this Friday night.