For the third time in his career, Joe Ward suffered defeat to Julio La Cruz at the World Boxing Championships. Like two years ago in Doha, it was again in the final that Ward lost out to the man who is five years his senior.
The Cuban is the reigning Olympic champion and an immensely impressive fighter. Post-fight on the BBC's coverage of the Championships, former middleweight world champion Richie Woodhall said there are very few professional boxers that would be able to take La Cruz over three rounds, such is his mastery of the discipline. It might take an Andre Ward to beat La Cruz added Woodhall, someone he called a 'class act'.
To a World Championship medal collection which already had a silver and bronze, Ward added another silver in Hamburg.
Speaking to Sean McGoldrick for the Sunday Independent this weekend, Ward vowed that he will take La Cruz in the coming years.
He is 28 years old but I will get better as I get older and hopefully he will slow down.
I am telling you that within the next couple of years, I will get him. I am going to go home and enjoy it for a few weeks and then I will be back training to learn and improve. I always want to get better.
Without the Cuban, I would be three times World champion and that's the reality because I am a long way away from the rest of them . There is just that one guy who has the edge over me now.
Picture credit: Paul Mohan / SPORTSFILE
