Winning start for Ward at world championships in Germany

Joe Ward is Ireland's last man standing at the world boxing championships in Germany after he recorded an impressive win in his opening bout this evening (Monday).

Five Irish boxers travelled to the tournament in Hamburg but the 23-year-old from Moate, who captained the team, is the only one who's still in the competition. 

The three-time European champion received a bye through to the last sixteen, where he took on Georgia's Iago Kiziria.

In a cagey opening round Ward displayed his superior skill and ringcraft, making the aggressive Kiziria miss with a series of hefty blows. 

The second round was busier, with Ward coming out on top after a few lively exchanges. The local man finished the round particularly strongly, and he carried on that momentum in the final round, landing some superb shots to the head and body. 

After this unanimous decision victory, Ward can now guarantee himself at least a bronze medal if he beats Mikhail Dauhaliavets of Belarus tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. 

The Ward-Dauhaliavets bout is the 7th on Tuesday evening's schedule in Hamburg, which gets underway at 6pm (Irish time).