Joe Ward’s defeat at the Olympic qualifying tournament stunned everyone but the local fans who arrived to cheer their hometown hero Bahram Muzaffer after the Turk had managed to extract an 18-15 victory from the judges.

European light-heavyweight champion Joe Ward got Ireland’s campaign off to a flying start on the opening day of the final Olympic qualifiers for European male boxers in Trabzon, Turkey yesterday.

European light heavyweight champion Joe Ward and Olympic bronze medallist Paddy Barnes will both be seeded in tomorrow’s draw for the European Olympic qualifying tournament in Trabzon, Turkey, but it’s likely the other five members of the Irish team will go into the open draw.

Coach Billy Walsh last night admitted he could “not be happier” as the seven-man Irish boxing team touched down in Trabzon, Turkey yesterday ahead of the European Olympic qualifier which begins on Saturday.

THE fact that Liverpool was not selected as one of the two European qualifying tournaments for next year’s Olympic Games did not come a great disappointment to Irish boxing’s high performance director, Gary Keegan.

Reigning World and European lightweight champion Katie Taylor racked up her second win in the space of 24 hours following an emphatic victory over Kurluk Valeviya in the quarter finals of the Ahmet Comet Cup in Turkey last night.

DARREN O’NEILL will travel to the Czech Republic to relaunch his boxing career in two weeks time.