Joe Ward: I’ll go one better in Tokyo

Joe Ward’s quest for World Elite gold ended at the hands of a familiar foe in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday night, but the Westmeath southpaw reckons time is on his side.

Ward dropped a unanimous decision to Cuba’s Julio La Cruz in a cagey light-heavy final and had to settle for silver, his second silver at this level as he was beaten by 28-year-old La Cruz in the 2015 final in Qatar.

The Cuban, the current Olympic champion, has now won four world titles on the bounce since Baku 2011, with Ward securing gold at the European Elites on June 24 last and silver over the weekend.