Ward has to settle for SILVER at World Championships

There was to be no fairytale end to Ireland’s record breaking week at the AIBA World Championships in Doha, Qatar, with Joe Ward being defeated in his light heavyweight final. The Moate man was comprehensively outpointed by Cuba’s Julio Cesar De La Cruz (30-27 x3).

The gold medal bout was a repeat of the pair’s semi final at the 2013 Championships and, unfortunately, it was a repeat result with La Cruz being too slick for the Irishman, who to his credit landed a few big shots.

The unorthodox Caribbean boxer won every round with all three judges to win his third World Championships medal and Cuba’s fourth of this years tournament.

While there was disappointment today for the Westmeath man, it has still been an historic championships for Team Ireland who have won one gold, one silver, and one bronze. Ward too has the added bonus of having secured qualification for his maiden Olympic Games