BOXING:A YEAR out from the London Olympics, Irish boxing again showed its rude health yesterday as both Ray Moylette and Joe Ward claimed gold medals at the European Senior Championships in Ankara, Turkey.
The haul of two golds equals Ireland’s best at the championships, and that came all of 72 years ago when Paddy Dowdall (feather) and Jimmy Ingle (fly) won their respective weight divisions when the event was staged in Dublin for the first time.
Ingle was just 17 when he won his gold back in 1939, the same age as Ward, who was competing in his first senior international competition.
A member of the Moate Boxing Club in Westmeath, Ward has been earmarked as a special talent ever since he won a World Youth title at middleweight last year before going on to end Ken Egan’s 10-year reign as Ireland light-heavyweight champion last year.
Ward got off to a slow start against the 25-year-old Russian Nikita Ivanov, but came storming back in the last minute of the first round, landing good scoring punches with both hands to take the round 7-3.
The Russian’s discipline was found wanting in the second as he received both a warning and a caution for landing blows under the belt, the first of which cost him a two-point penalty and saw Ward taking a standing eight count.
Ward landed a number of good combinations to add to Ivanov’s problems, taking the round 8-3 to create a nine-point gap at 15-6 going in to the final three minutes.
Adopting a more defensive strategy in the final round, Ward kept his guard high and used the ring to further frustrate the Russian as he showed experience beyond his years to close out the fight.
Ivanov took the final round on a scoreline of 6-5, with Ward claiming gold by the handsome margin of eight points (20-12).
“I’m over the moon, it’s fantastic to win it out, I thought I was brilliant in there,” said Ward, who admitted he was not fazed by his more experienced opponent.
“He tried to bully me a bit but I picked off the cleaner shots, covered up and picked him off. I sparred him in Russia a while back and I knew I had the measure of him.
“I’m the European champion now and that’s brilliant. This is another step on the ladder for me. The next step is the getting to the Olympic Games, that’s my next goal. I’m delighted with my win,delighted to win another gold. If I keep winning gold then I must be doing something right.”
Moylette earlier claimed Ireland’s first gold with a hard-fought 18-10 victory over Liverpool light-welterweight Thomas Stalker, who never quite got to grips with his opponent’s all-action style.
The 21-year-old, who boxes out of the St Anne’s club in Westport, shared the first round 5-5 with Stalker, a silver medal winner at the 2010 European Championships and the current Commonwealth champion.
However, Moylette, working comfortably behind his trademark high guard, fired home some quality body shots and left and right hooks in the second to command a 12-8 advantage at the bell before adding another six points to his advantage.
“I’m absolutely thrilled with the win, absolutely thrilled,” said the 2008 AIBA World Youth champ, who did a handstand in celebration in the ring immediately after his historic victory.
The Irish squad are due to arrive home at Dublin Airport this morning at 10.20.
