Joe Ward aiming for Cruz control

At this point they know each other like the back of each other’s backhands.

Ireland’s Joe Ward and Cuba’s defending champion Julio De La Cruz renew acquaintances over three,three-minute rounds in tonight’s light-heavyweight final at the AIBA World Elite Championships in Hamburg, Germany.

Ward, the No 3 seed, beat Uzbekistan’s No 2 seed Bektimer Melikuziev on a 3-2 split decision — 30-27,27-30,29-28, 28-29, 30-27 — in an all-southpaw battle last night to book his ticket into his second successive final, and La Cruz, the No 1 seed, beat Ecuador’s No 4 seed Carlos Mina to reach his fourth consecutive decider.