“Beat up a Brit” – Big names targetted for Joe Ward
Come through a-step up at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night and Lou DiBella wants Joe Ward to “beat up a Brit”.
Dan Azeez, Joshua Buatsi, Lydon Arthur et al have been having success at light heavyweight in Britain and it’s a division Sky and BOXXER, in particular, are invested in.
Veteran fight maker DiBella thinks it’s time for an Irishman to gate crash the party.
If Ward beats the experienced and technically sound Derrick Webster in The Theater live on UFC Fight Pass on St Patrick’s weekend, Team Ward will hunt down the best in Britain.
“We gotta get this and then we gotta beat up a Brit. That’s gotta be the next step,” said DiBella.
“Webster can fight, this is a test. Joe Ward is now a contender. And if he wins this, I want to start calling Frank Warren, Eddie Hearn and the guys at Boxxer and I want him to start beating up guys from England.”
Ward is more than open to it, offering his response at a recent public workout: “Any of them. I’ve never lost to one.”
The Moate BC graduate went so far as to offer to step in and fight 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Buatsi in London at very short notice late last year – and has been vocal about how confident he’d feel in against the British and Commonwealth champion.
“You don’t look for a fight on a week’s notice if you’re not confident,” he told Irish-boxing.com late last year.
In the meantime, one of Ireland’s greatest ever amateurs and one of the ‘best light heavyweight prospects in the world’ according to DiBella, has a Garden Party to attend.
The multi time European and World Championship medal winner is a big favourite against southpaw Webster, whom he fights on the same 360 Promotions card as Callum Walsh and Feargal McCrory. However, the American has upset potential. At 41, ‘Take It to The Bank’ is past his best but comes into the fight on the back of two positive results against prospects, he’s a very respected sparring partner Stateside and has some decent wins on his resume.