After heartbreaking debut, Joseph Ward approaches contender status on St. Paddy’s card

NEW YORK — As promoter Lou DiBella observed his fighter, Joseph Ward, pounding away at the heavy bag, he took note of how sturdy the light heavyweight boxer looked. “Growing into my body, getting my man strength,” replied the Irish southpaw Ward (10-1, 6 knockouts) in between combinations. The New York-based DiBella has developed plenty […]

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NEW YORK — As promoter Lou DiBella observed his fighter, Joseph Ward, pounding away at the heavy bag, he took note of how sturdy the light heavyweight boxer looked.

“Growing into my body, getting my man strength,” replied the Irish southpaw Ward (10-1, 6 knockouts) in between combinations.

The New York-based DiBella has developed plenty of champions during his two decades-plus time as a promoter, and guided other fighters to stardom like another famous Irish Ward, Micky. While this Ward has a fight scheduled against experienced journeyman Derrick Webster this Friday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, DiBella is already thinking a few steps ahead.

“We gotta get this and then we gotta beat up a Brit. That’s gotta be the next step,” said DiBella.

“Any of them,” responded Ward, as he lets off some body punches. “I’ve never lost to one.”

It’s an enviable position to be in for the 30-year-old Ward, who will be fighting for the first time in New York City on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, which has the potential to make a star out of an Irish boxer in a city that loves its Irish boxers. The fight, an eight-rounder, will be one of the supporting bouts to the Callum Walsh vs. Dauren Yeleussinov fight, which will headline a card that will be broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.

It’ll be Ward’s fifth time fighting at Madison Square Garden as a professional, but it was his first time there, in his pro debut in October of 2019, where his career got off to the worst possible start.

That night, on the undercard of Gennadiy Golovkin vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Ward dislocated his left knee cap in the second round of his fight with Marco Delgado, leading to a stoppage defeat. The freak injury occurred as Delgado stepped on Ward’s lead foot, causing him to fall awkwardly, leading to the gut-wrenching sight of his knee cap protruding out of the side of his leg.

It was an inauspicious start to his career for Ward, a 2016 Olympian who had previously won three European Championships, plus a pair of silver medals at the World Championships.

“It was very hard in the moment. It was my debut and for such a bad injury to happen to me when everything was under control, it was very heartbreaking but I put that all behind me,” said Ward, who is from the city of Moate, Ireland.

“I got the best treatment and the best operation and I haven’t looked back since. It’s just motivation for me to push on and work hard to be ready for any opportunity in my way.”

Since then, Ward has won ten straight, including a shutout decision win over Delgado in a rematch which took place a year and a half later. Since that first loss, Ward has been trained by two-time world champion Joey Gamache, in addition to Irish trainer Jimmy Payne. Gamache says he’s been impressed by what he has seen.

“He’s got good fundamentals, good basics, a great jab, great footwork. He’s one of those guys that have the natural talent. He has those qualities to become a world champion. He’s got those good tools behind him to be a top guy,” said Gamache.

Those tools were on display in his previous two fights, when he blasted out once beaten Prince Oko Nartey in two rounds this past November, and stopped previously unbeaten Mario Andrade Rodriguez in the first round in March of 2023. In both instances, Ward became more aggressive and rocked his opponents with his left hand.

That’ll be the punch to watch for against Webster (29-4-1, 14 KOs), an experienced southpaw himself from Glassboro, N.J., who, at 41 years old, has seen better days. Webster, a career super middleweight, weighed 166 pounds for his last fight, a split draw with Christopher Pearson in August, and has found himself on the short end in his previous step-up opponents.

“I hope he brings the best of him to put on a show, but there’s only one outcome. I’m going to take care of business in whatever fashion I want to,” said Ward, who is managed by Adam Glenn.

“Webster can fight, this is a test. Joe Ward is now a contender. And if he wins this, I want to start calling Frank Warren, Eddie Hearn and the guys at Boxxer and I want him start beating up guys from England,” said DiBella.

Asked to specify which ones would be good matchups for Ward, the two point to Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 KOs), Dan Azeez (20-1, 13 KOs) and Lyndon Arthur (23-2, 16 KOs) as potential targets.

“I don’t think I’m very far away,” said Ward, when asked when he’s ready to face the top fighters at 175 pounds. “I believe I’m up there, it’s just about getting the right opportunities at the right time. I’m just waiting for the big opportunities and I’m hoping 2024 can bring them. After a good performance against Derrick Webster on March 15, I’m open to any of the top guys.”

Gamache, who knows a thing or two about becoming champion, says it’s important to evaluate a career on a fight-by-fight basis, and take incremental steps up along the way.

“It takes three years to make a champion and ten seconds to end one. The point of it is, even though he’s an Olympian, you can’t just throw him in there with anyone. You gotta keep developing him. He’s now at the stage where things are gonna step up but he’ll be ready,” said Gamache.

In the meantime, Ward has a Garden Party to attend. If anything can help put the painful memories of a heartbreaking debut behind him, it’ll be thousands of screaming Irish American fans cheering him on the night before the annual parade marches up Fifth Avenue.

“He’s had a hard road between COVID and blowing his knee out in his pro debut in Madison Square Garden, but he’s still one of the best prospects in the world at 175,” said DiBella.

“Now this is the year of contender status.”

Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler and The Guardian, and is part of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2020. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com.

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