Dec. 14, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
Irish boxers ‘Mighty’ Joe Ward and Connor ‘The Kid’ Coyle finished 2022 in style last weekend with big wins stateside.
Ward, from Westmeath, defeated France’s Frederic Julan by unanimous decision in the light heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden late Saturday while Coyle clinched the vacant North American Boxing Association (NABA) middleweight title Sunday at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.
Ward’s bout went the full 8 rounds with the 29-year-old Moate man coming out on top 79-73, 79-73, 78-74. Ward battled with a cut over his eye in the fourth round to gain the victory.
The win took Ward’s professional record to 8 wins (4 KOs) and one defeat. His only loss came when he dislocated his knee in a freak incident during his professional debut in October 2019.
Ward, a decorated amateur, won gold medals at the 2011, 2015 and 2017 European Championships, silver at the 2015 and 2017 World Championships and bronze at the 2013 edition. He represented Ireland at the 2016 Olympics, in the light-heavyweight division.
“Big thanks to my team @joeygamache_ @jimmypayne92 @timessquareboxing @dibellaent
“⚡Looking forward to a massive 2023 ?”
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Congrats to Joe Ward on his UD over Fredric Julan here at @TheGarden tonight ? pic.twitter.com/CYt2zAxyqM
— Lou DiBella (@loudibella) December 11, 2022
Meanwhile, Coyle defeated Sladan Janjanin, of Bosnia And Herzegovina, with a seventh-round TKO victory.
The Derry native had to contend with Janjanin’s play-acting tactics but he remained focused landing shots to the head and body at the right moments.
In the seventh, Janjanin appeared to voluntarily take a knee while on the receiving end of a Coyle barrage, according to fightnews.com.
Janjanin survived the round, but his corner surrendered their fighter between rounds.
The win brings his record to 18-0, 8 KOs with a world title shot moving even closer.
“A great finish to an incredible year, 7th round TKO!” Coyle wrote on Instagram.
“Home time to enjoy my family & Kids for the holidays ✈️??”
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