Steven Ward makes his highly-anticipated cruiserweight debut against Jone Volau next Wednesday – and the Belfast man hopes a win there can lead to a shot at the British title in the next 12 months.
Ward (12-1, 4 KOs) faces Volau (5-5, 2 KOs) on a massive show at Production Park Studios in Wakefield on September 30, which will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports in association with Matchroom Boxing, and live in the US on ESPN+ in association with Top Rank.
‘The Quiet Man’ has big ambitions after moving up from light-heavyweight to cruiserweight, and has set his sights on a future crack at the British belt.
Ward said: “I’m over the moon and I can’t wait to be back fighting again. It feels like I’ve been out of the ring for a really long time.
“The last six months has helped me bulk up to cruiserweight, and it’s given me the opportunity to get stronger and to improve. Training has been great, and I’ve been in Belfast mostly getting a lot of sparring with Tommy McCarthy, so you can’t get much better than that.
“I don’t know much about Jone Volau, but he’ll be a big enough lad as he’s coming down from heavyweight. I’ve just got to make sure I’m firing on all cylinders and I perform at the weight.
“In the next 12 months I’d love to win the British title. First I need a few fights at this weight and a few wins, and then I believe I’ll be in the running for it.”
Ward vs. Volau is part of a massive Golden Contract card on September 30, that sees Ohara Davies face Tyrone McKenna in the super-lightweight final, while Ryan Walsh takes on Jazza Dickens in the featherweight final.
Along with the finals, Liam Conroy faces Serge Michel in a Golden Contract light-heavyweight semi-final, Ben Fail makes his professional debut against former Southern Area title challenger Robbie Chapman, plus William Hamilton takes on Ryan Hibbert.