Joe Ward to tackle German opponent in London tonight

Local boxer Joe Ward will be action tonight (Friday) when he takes on 22-year-old German Satula Abdulai at the Earls Court arena in London. The 19-year-old from Farnagh, Moate, is making his second appearance in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) and is part of the British Lionhearts team which is competing against the German Eagles. The WSB involves top-class amateurs boxing without a headguard or vest. The bouts are longer than in standard amateur boxing as they take place over five, instead of three, three-minute rounds. In his first WSB appearance, Ward outclassed Hungarian Imre Szello, winning all five rounds en route to a win on points in Wales last month. Ward is regarded as one of the most talented young boxers in the world and is the reigning European champion at Light Heavyweight. In an interview with the Irish Post, boxing legend Barry McGuigan voiced support for the WSB format. "High-quality competitive boxing is what people want to see," he said. "They don't want to see matches that are predictable. In professional boxing, boys are fed bums for the first half-dozen fights. They may get a test every now and again. But most of the time you almost know before you sit down that your man is going to win. "This is where WSB is different because these are competitive 50:50 matches. It is world class amateurs boxing without a vest or a head-guard." There will be five bouts in total tonight, with the first due to get underway at 8pm. A live internet stream of the action can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/worldseriesboxingtv