Joe Ward commits to Tokyo 2020

Performances in the ring will ultimately dictate whether Bernard Dunne’s remit as Irish amateur boxing’s high performance director is a success but the former world champion has already recorded a pair of notable successes outside the ropes.

Joe Ward confirmed yesterday that he has rejected all advances from the pro game and committed to leading the Irish boxing team through to the next Olympics, in Tokyo in 2020, as team captain.

And Sean McComb has revealed that enough financial backing has now been secured to keep him in the amateur ranks too.