Ward devours Joyce at National Stadium
Friday, 27 January 2012
Joe Ward advanced to the light-heavyweight final at the 2012 Elite Senior Championships at Dublin's National Stadium tonight.
The current European and Irish champion recorded a 17-4 victory over Davey Joe Joyce to book his ticket into next Friday's 81kg final.
The Moate BC southpaw will now face either Ken Egan or Eamon Walsh - who meet tomorrow night - in next weekend's decider.
London 2012 Olympians Darren O'Neill, John Joe Nevin and Michael Conlan - all defending champions - also progressed tonight.
Kilkenny middleweight O'Neill beat Conrad Cummings, while Cavan BC bantamweight Nevin had to come from behind to edge out Cummings' Holy Trinity Belfast team-mate Sean McComb 13-12.
Conlan, who boxes out of the St John Bosco BC in Belfast, forced Dublin flyweight Shane Roche into two standing counts in the third en route to a 28-12 decision.
Tonight's semi-finals also saw defending champions Michael McDonagh, Ross Hickey, Adam Nolan, Con Sheehan and Tommy McCarthy progress.
Sheehan, who is aiming for his fifth Irish title in-a-row at two different weights, beat Ken Okungbowa in the super-heavyweight class.
Hugh Myres secured a 23-15 win over Evan Metcalfe in the first contest of the evening, while McDonagh beat 2010 European bronze medallist Tyrone McCullagh on a night when all the winners were boxing out of the red corner.
The remaining semi-finals at the 2012 Elite Championships will be resolved tomorrow evening.
