Joe Ward keen to 'move to the next level' after dominant win in Dublin

Joe Ward said he's eager to make the step up to fighting the top light heavyweights in the world, after he recorded a comfortable win against Ukraine's Dmytro Fedas in Dublin's National Stadium last night (Friday).

The Moate native, who turns 31 later this month, was in total control against Fedas, winning every round before his opponent failed to come out for round seven.

Fedas had taken some heavy punches in the contest and showed determination to withstand sharp combinations from Ward that wobbled him on a couple of occasions.

There was only ever going to be one winner, and, after the Ukrainian took some more hefty shots in round six, the sensible decision was made to call it a night.

Ward's professional debut five years ago is recorded as a loss, because it ended when he suffered a freak knee injury, but since then he has won twelve fights in a row, and he is now keen to mix it with the biggest names in the world in his division.

When interviewed in the ring by Eric Donovan after last night's bout, Ward said he had been "in second gear" throughout and that he wanted to get some rounds under his belt after his last few fights ended in early stoppage wins.

"I wanted to get the rounds in, and just break him down slowly. He took some really good, heavy shots and he kept coming back, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I was going to get him out of there," said Ward.

"It's important to get the rounds in because I want to move up to the next level.

"As I said from day one, I want to fight the big guys, who are in the top 15 in the world. You probably can't go in against these guys by just knocking people out in one round. You're not learning anything from it."

Mentioning some of the opponents he would like to face, he name-checked British fighters Joshua Buatsi and Lyndon Arthur.

"I want to take on the top guys in the world. I'm here to fight any of them. If they're willing to take on the challenge of fighting me, I'm willing to do it, today, tomorrow, whenever. It's just about getting the opportunities.

"Hopefully they will take that fight, because I believe I'm good enough to beat them," said Ward.

His coach, Jimmy Payne, said he was hoping the local man would be in action again before Christmas.

"Then in the new year, 2025, we're hoping to fight one of these top guys," said Payne.

Ward's professional record now stands at twelve wins and one defeat, with eight of those wins coming inside the distance.