Turkish delight as Ward and Joyce close in on Olympics

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.

Turkish delight as Ward and Joyce close in on Olympics

The 18-year-old World number three hammered Sweden’s Kennedy Katende 16-6 to set up today’s last-16 clash with Turkey’s Bahran Muzaffer at the Hari Gur venue. Katende, who was beaten by Ireland’s Ken Egan in the final of the 2008 Olympic qualifiers in Athens, was 8-3 down going into the last frame of yesterday’s 81kg preliminary.

If Ward reaches the light-heavyweight final he will qualify for the London Olympics but he can also qualify if he reaches the semi-finals and is beaten by the eventual gold medallist.

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