Latest / On Your Own Time Podcast / The Mighty Joe Ward
Transcript
- Declan Toland: Well Joe, what's the crack? Good man, good. Good to me on now. Thanks very much for coming to On Your On Time Podcast. you're probably one of the biggest la guys I had on so far. and your busy schedule, so thanks very much. welcome to On your home. The guest today is Arlene's great one of Arlist's greatest amateur boxers. Olympia Olympian. Olympia. We talk a bit about that. Yeah, I look at I was going to Olympics is the the pinnacle of the amateur amateur boxing. so yeah, I had a had a good run of the amateur career. seventeen national titles, boxing all the majors, European worlds, went to the Olympics. And yeah, I've been lucky enough to pick up a few medals along the way. five European medals, five War medals. So yeah, so it was good old good old times we had there after this. You're a busy you're a busy man. Yeah, I was very lucky to be very successful at a very young age. I won my first major medal at a the European Championships school boys. and I won a silver medal and then I went on and to win European bronze, gold, world, youth, world junior champion. So so I had a lot of success for young so which helped to keep the momentum going. so firstly Joe, congratulations on announcing your return. Yeah look at it, it's it's it's been a while fair shares of ups and downs with shows pulling falling through and things not really happening. But thankfully now that with sulfur boxing, with with Dana White and people like that involved with sulfur boxing, these shows is huge and it gives us a huge opportunity to to get on them and and and to be able to perform and been some momentum to mean so because as you see like superboxing have shows on nearly once or twice a month. So there's n there's no lack of shows happening, it's just about keeping active and and being successful. How does it feel to be back? Feels great. I mean it feels really good. I'm in a good place. Mine's in a good place and training is going well so I'm feeling feeling fresh, feeling ready and excited, really excited about it. It's a huge opportunity for me to fight in the tree ring in Dublin. Like this is something I dreamed about. Seems something like I grew watching the likes of Bernard Dunn and an another fires fighting there. in the three arena. So we give an opportunity now to to to fight there and a huge car and a world title card with Aaron McKenna fighting for a world title Colin Walsh and myself and so many other good Irish fighters. it's it's gonna be a special night and and and I'm gonna be a hundred percent ready to find a a great performance and and hopefully be f very successful. And so long how long is this in the pipeline, the return? Yeah, look at I as I said, as you know there's a few shows fell through and so but silver boxing was always in the pipeline for quite a long time. It's really now just been out there now, it's always getting a lot closer to the fight. It's just over three weeks. So yeah, look at that. I'm excited to give an opportunity because you need to to really get your opportunity you need a good promoter, you need it, you need a good platform and no bigger than silver boxing that's Sky Sports, Apairman, these is huge huge T V backing so yeah to be given that broadcast and to be able to be given the opportunities is massive for me. Well new a new fresh chapter for you, is it? Yeah, absolutely. I mean this is this is for me this is huge because For a long time it was i it felt like it probably wasn't gonna I probably wasn't gonna get that opportunity to be able to go in there and fight the best because like you see a lot of these good fighters or a lot of these fighters that's highly rank, the risk reward. They don't wanna do they don't wanna fight someone like me. They they they prefer to fight somebody maybe higher rank but not in the same in the same level. And it's hard to explain that to people who don't really know too much about boxing. But someone like me with a huge amateur background and they did it so much as an amateur and now as a pro obviously be a bit unlucky, obviously with a knee injury on my pro debut and then obviously with COVID set me back for a little while again. so j just don't wanna give me that opportunity because they know like that I'm a top ten fighter in the world right now at this present moment. So none of these guys was willing to give me the opportunity. And maybe you can understand as well because if they're going nicely and they're being promoted well and the and the and they're fighting guys that they're blown over in in in thirty or forty seconds or a round or two and it looks good on paper. I mean they're happy enough. But I feel like now with the suffer boxing that the D D Dana White and and Nick Cannon people involved in it, they they make good fights, good fights, fifty fifty fights, they put you in fights that they believe that if you're good enough you prove yourself and and that's what I like about it. And I feel like where I'm at now in my career that I wonder I want to do big fights, I want fifty fifty fights, I want fights that I can prove myself to be if I'm the best in the world I have to go and prove it. What do you s what what can the fans expect of of you in Tree Arena? Yeah, it's gonna be look at I I believe that I'm hoping and I believe so because I've been doing it in the gym by Beastbound like world champions. I've been I've been working really hard and I know what I can bring and I think come eight August eighth that I'm going upon a really, really good rootless performance to get a really top lot that will just show the one seventy five division that I I'm I'm here to to push on to big, big things. Okay. So that's the start here. That's that's that's the big news. Okay, we'll bring it back a bit, back to your early days. Where did it all start ya? Yeah, I started in a in in a in a boxing club in Moat, a small town where we're we're we're from. I would have said we're in in back then days we were lucky we had fifteen, twenty members in the club. I was a young guy who who walked into the doors at eight years old, met the coach, my coach, Seamus Darnick, who recently passed away, was a great coach, great mentor, and trained many a champions. So when I walked in there obviously I felt a love for the sport, obviously I'd had a huge family that was involved in the Duncan's that went on to win national titles. so it was kind of a a family thing also, but for me it was about as a young age just just loving it, just being in there, listening to the coach, developing and I remember when I was one of my first well, I was going for my first national title and My coach Seamus, we walked down the town and Seamus used to pick up the newspapers every every Sunday morning and then he'd go down around and he was talking to the to one of the shop owners and he said to the shop owner, he said, He said, I'm involved in boxing over over forty or fifty years now, he said. But he said, I I'm telling you now, he said, this young lad here beside me said he said, I believe that he's he's the biggest certainty that I ever that I ever want to travel to Dublin with. And I was only eleven years old, but to hear someone so so well involved in boxing and knowing boxing so well and and been around boxing for that many years and had so many great fighters like he would have been involved with so many great fighters like Dennis Garvin when I when on five, six elite titles and so many other fighters and more Kelly's guy the marsh they've all been great fighters like to me to represent someone who represented Ireland and to hear him say that at eleven years old kinda gave me that extra boost to to say like maybe I am something special. Maybe this is something that I can really go on to achieve great things and thankfully I I kept my head down and and worked hard and and listened to him and he he guided me the right way and Here we am now, still going strong after all them years, like to mean after what's it now, like twenty odd years? Some commitment, yeah. Why boxing though? Just the love of it, just the love of the individual it's been the individual sport where it's it's it's like I played football for Mote and Mot always. I played soccer for for Yeah, so I enjoyed all the team sports and think it's it's great that you you try them out and and you're involved in them and stuff like that. But I was someone that always wanted to take the the responsibility on myself. Okay. I mean, to put myself in there that I know that if anything goes wrong it's me that makes it go wrong. and and that's something that I try about and something that it makes me really, really focus and work hard that It's all on me. When I when I get into that ring, it's me just that can has to perform. It's me that has to be a hundred percent ready. I can't take any shortcuts of me training and and that's what kinda drives me to to love it so much. Like and that's why I love boxing so much because it's just it's the individual. It's the individual person that the mindset. It's mad. I was talking beforehand with Brian Kennedy on a few weeks ago. And the two of you have the same mindset. Two he started at a young age as well. And do you think that's fine to start at a young age? Yeah, look at I I it is. I think it it is because it's boxing now has has grown so fast and young kids now at a very young age is is being drilled very well and there's been a lot of like good coaches out there at different clubs that's able to put good programmes in place and it's very hard to catch up if if you don't start like thirteen, fourteen because some of these kids goes into Washington at seven and eight years old. So all of a sudden the five or six years on you they could have like so much experience, like ten or fifteen fights. And it's look, saying it can be done, it can be done. You can come into a club at fifteen or sixteen and we're very successful. But the margins is way smaller. than it would be if you came to the club at eight, seven or eight years old and you got that experience of travelling to different clubs and and sparring and and and and competing in it at at when you come eleven. So yeah, it's it's more difficult but it as I said it can be done. And I'm lucky enough to be involved in Aflon Boxing Club. And I'm involved there a good few years now and I I see a lot of kids coming in there at at very young, like six, seven and you just see the development now and and and how quickly they're picking it up at a young age. And it it just it kinda it inspires you and it kinda gives you that kind of extra boost that you want to go back and and learn the more and be part of it because you see how how passionate they are about it and what they wanna what their vision is like to mean and and some of these kids like has huge vision to become like Olympic champion or and just did they're obviously followed like some the the great Katie Taylor and and many other great Irish fighters like to means and and and they're so tuned into it now and it's got so much on social media that they're able to go back and watch these videos and watch like documentaries and and and So it kinda gives them that extra boost to to wanna come back in and train and learn and and and give them that focus where they can go on to gr achieve great things like I remember actually a few weeks ago talking about Lone Boxing Club, I actually seen you on a video, you know like and I was like, He's look look at the level of a a boxer he is and he's still giving back to kids. Yeah, I think it's very important. I I I as I said, like, boxing is my number one sport. I love it and I I I feel like that someone like me that could offer something to the local boxing player and that'd love to be part of it. Because as we just spoke about, Seamus Darnton was my coach. Like when I walked into remote boxing about eight years old, I needed someone to be able to open the door, someone to welcome me in, someone to always guide me and train me and learn me the fundamentals. And I think that's very important for someone like me that has been given that opportunity and now that has a lot of experience in the boxing game, that travel the world, that's been at all levels, now to understand that maybe I can get back to young kids around here, maybe I can I can get back and show them that I mean that this is the way forward, these is the the things you need to do to obviously achieve and and and just just to get back in a way of something that not everybody walks in through the door about boxing is going to become a boxer. just to be able to come in and make them feel comfortable, make them f make them mix around, meet new people, meet friends and and and to go on to maybe to be long term friends because some of the best friends I have I met true boxing. That means that they're just the young age I could have fought them or or just met them along the way and turned out to be just something in common or just great friends and we we we have keep in contact and that's very important too. Like it's a great form of self defence though for kids growing up and discipline. Yeah, huge, huge like to me like as we said discipline is is is is huge because i i it gives you sometimes people say it's like boxing like you're involved in boxing or we put the kids to boxing because it's obvious it's tough or it's dangerous. But at the end of the day is as you said it's it's y you earn a lot of respect of it in a way that if you know you can handle yourself where you have and you know you put years of of grind in there. Like do you mean you're not gonna be going around like being a bully. You mean we're not trained to to be bullies, we're trained to obviously it's a sport, we compete when we have to compete. But outside of that, ninety percent of boxers, it's really good down to earth honest, nice people. Yeah. To mean that wouldn't that you see a lot more guys that never boxed before, probably a lot more louder. Yeah. You're just a nice quiet guy that just gets on with day to day life like someone like someone a good statement a few goofy years to me he says never judge a book by its cover 'cause the smallest man could be the strongest man and the best skilled man. And but f even for my job, defence for in the army there like there's a good lot of boxers in the army. And they're the best disciplined for people I ever come across. Yeah, and I think it's far as I said there now, it's very important that if you know you can you you can do something, sometimes you won't do it. Yeah, yeah. Sometimes you You you have a load of load of dogs there. Usually the lowest one is the smallest one. So so it's just yeah, it's just it's just it's just nature, isn't it? It's but it's good. It's good. It's good. Where do you see Atlanta box club the next few years? Yeah, I think it's it's it's grown massively. we've been lucky enough to have so many great young talent. We've won like five or six national titles this year alone, seven or eight Lanster titles. And the club has is grown, it's getting bigger. The members is we've over a hundred members now from the age of about seven up to twenty odd. so it's definitely we're on the right on the right road now to to big things and and we're lucky enough that we have the backing of the of recently we w the the the local council then gave us a plot of land like we said the recent sports centre. So we're we're in in the phase now of hopefully going for sports capital grants and some fundraisers and stuff like that to build around state our premises here in Athlone to be able to give these young kids an opportunity to walk in through the doors of known to have like I mean the simple things of of of having the bathroom the good facilities like bags, rings, and we had space to be able to to open up to a wider audience and and to bring more members involved. at the moment we're just a little bit tight end at the moment because where we are based in St Peter and Paul's Church, the facilities is not ideal and also too it's not it's not big enough because the growth of the club now and the success we're having and and the demand young kids wanting to join, I think we're on the right road now to all these big things in Athlone and I think over the next couple of years we I'm I'm hoping that we have one we'll have huge success but also the facilities to be able to cater for for for a wider audience here in Athlone and the outskirts of it to be able to give these kids an opportunity. So Athlon Boxing Club watch this space. Yeah absolutely like we have a huge huge challenge then at the moment that some of these kids if if to stick around and and they keep working hard Didn't want to no doubt you want to achieve huge things in the deep box. Did you ever come ac ever think of quitting? no, it's it's it never crossed your mind to to quit. You have phases where y you feel like that momentum is just not with you and and There's always setbacks along the way. But I feel like that everything happens for a reason. As long as you if you if you you stick around, you you believe in it, you believe in what you're doing, you put the work in, that your opportunity will come like and and and and sometimes that What happens is people take the fall up the gas and the opportunity comes and they're not ready. Yeah. And I felt like that, I've never let that happen to me. I feel like that I need to be a hundred percent ready for when the opportunity comes because you don't want to have any regrets when you do decide to to hang up the gloves. You want to be able to look back and Look at I did everything in my power to be the best person I am and to be the best version of me when I get into that rink and then like nature takes a course after that. Yeah. And when did you realise that you could become something special yourself? Okay. say at a very young age success breeds success right and I feel like that with me being so successful as a very young age you you you you start to believe in yourself then and a and a confident fire is a dangerous fire and if if you're if you're if you're on a good winning streak and and and you're you're obvious you build a lot of a lot of confidence in your and belief in yourself and I mean, it's not an accident you go on to win seventeen national titles. It's not an accident. I've never lost in in in in Ireland in in in any competition. So, That's a that's an unbelievable statement. Yeah, and that's and that's that is ta that takes a lot like to mean and and that takes a lot of hard work. It takes it takes something special. I mean, you gotta have that X factor. Yeah. You gotta have that that's something that everyone else don't have like to mean and and I and I believe I I I was gifted with that. I was gifted with it and I believe and with a gift I think hard work you need to also put in. So I believe that that's what helped me along the way and like I I've I've huge use experience in a way that knowing that like to mean talent is wanting and I'm grateful for it but unless you put the hard work in you will be found out there. Yeah. And I that leads on to my next question. Was it talent or hard work? Again as I said is i y you gotta have a bit of talent like to mean there's no doubt you gotta have something special as I said like an X factor. but hard work is is is the key to any success to mean you gotta work hard, you gotta put the hours of training in, you gotta have to have everything done correctly to give yourself that best opportunity. Give your body that chance to be able to deliver. And there is times where you feel like that bit of magic you need in certain in certain times, like being the gym or in the in in the fight where you have that kind of bit of arrogance where you know you're that little bit you have that little bit something special to me. And that's where it gets you sometimes that's where you kind of realize and say to yourself, yeah, look it, I can get myself up any deep end because I know I have that that's something different that someone else don't have. I mean because we can all train, we can all do like we could train twenty lads could train with me and do all the same training I do. But doesn't necessarily mean they have the mindset or have that skill that can get them that that same way to get over the line. I remember a good statement one time where we went to Box cup, it was like a World Box Cup in in Germany. And we went with a team of 10 or 12, I think, and we all boxed anyway. And 10 of us lost in the first day. And I was one of the guys that won. won the coach and made a statement. He said sometimes he said great performances, he said it's great. He said, and some of you guys put great performances, but unfortunately you lost it. But he said. The really, really good ones, he said, finds a way to win, even when it's not going well for them. And that's something that I always took with in a way that sometimes you just need to know how to win. And and that and that's what kinda gave me that edge over a lot of fires down through the years where things mightn't be going well for me or the momentum might be with me, but I always find a way to get over the line to move on to the next one. Yeah. And then obvious it always got better as the tournament went on. That's a statement where Iman gave and stuck with me because I said sometimes a not so pretty win is better than someone who performs other skin but just loses. Yeah. That's I mean that's that's a win's a win. Yeah, and that's why you're saying and people understand that, like like you have to have the mindset of knowing how to win. Yeah. What don't people see behind success? A lot of sacrifices. A huge amount of sacrifices. being away from home, having your ups and downs in in your day to day training, your day to day life. Miss a lot of family family family do's, family weddings, parties. there's a lot that goes with it. But there are sacrifices you make and and that'll be s when you look back at when the time is all said and done. You can always look back and say I met them for for the good reason. Like I mean I met them because this is who I am today and this is why I achieved so much in my career because I I believed in in myself and I I knew I had to make these sacrifices to to be the best version of me when I came to all these major tournaments and I was a pro. If you look back, would you change anything at all? No. I believe everything happens for a reason. what I have achieved or or or things that went wrong for me in the past or if it could have did this or it could have did that because to me it's it's it's gone man, it's gone. I can't change it. I can't change it. So what I do is now I I just focus on what's next. And I keep that mindset of thinking like what's next? How do I become how do I get myself in the best possible shape? How do I get myself in the po best possible mental Shape to be a hundred percent ready and that's what I'll I don't think about like there's like for instance going to the Olympic Games in two thousand sixteen expectation was as high and not only me but the whole national team and we're looking we're unfortunate not to bring home any medals but it wasn't one of my best performances while it wasn't one of my best camps leading up to it and there's things you can always question and say to yourself, Yeah, I could have did this better, could have done better but Days, as I said, everything happened for a reason. It's it's gone now. I can't bring it back and I just have to be on to the next one. And and maybe as I said it's good for me too also now that I'm back in acting on Boston that but maybe I'm able to give that advice to someone else. Yeah. I may help someone else out. Yeah. Say to him, Look at these are things you need to do and make sure obviously don't you don't you don't not prepare or Sure, you're always in shape, you're always ready and and and that's experience. I mean And do you think losing makes you a better fighter? It all depends. nobody likes to lose. Yeah. Anybody tells you to they're they're happy to lose or losing makes you a better fighter is a little bit I don't know. But yeah, you learn from your losses sometimes. You learn where someone like me losing is never in in in my mindset like to me it's always I mean I have to win. That's just away me from a very young age. but yeah you definitely you definitely can learn from your losses but I I believe sometimes people kind of over exaggerate as a little bit they're thinking like, yeah but if you lose or you have a good performance we can work on them. To me, get in there and have the mindset you wanna win and and that's it. And it's everything on the line, like to me. Is that important to have a positive mindset? Absolutely. I think it is key to any any successful athlete out there will tell you. Self belief, hard work, knowing how to win get you to the top of the place. Yeah. Like if you're gonna win with a mindset you're gonna lo you're I could lose this. You've already lost it. That's it. Yeah. You have to understand that Like you have to have that winning mentality, you have to believe in yourself, you have to say even if even if it's on paper that you're the underlaw, you still have to step in there and believe that you are the best. That it doesn't matter what anybody says, you believe in yourself, you believe that you're going all the way. And sometimes you might fall short. But you still have to believe in yourself. Like when I was seventeen years old, I went in again in the first national elite title. Again, obvious the great Kenneth Egan who went who is the only male boxer to win ten national elite titles in a row, Olympic silver medal. He was on the national team for for a decade of of of again winning huge major medals. And everyone ripped me off, like everyone said there's no hope. Seventeen year old guy can can be a a really, really good and probably one of the greatest male fighters as an amateur ever in Kenneth Egan. But I just that fearless mindset of thinking I am the best. I'm seventeen years old, it makes no difference. I'm physically, mentally and and confident in my ability of what I can do. And I went in there and won that fight at seventeen. Like doing now at seventeen you can't have boxing the league championships because you're too young you had to be eight or nineteen. Okay. I went on to win that. Then I went on then a couple of weeks later to win the win the European Championships though at seventeen. I'd say I'd say you could count and maybe in one hand that in the world that someone did that like. So I mean there are things that the mental strength I had at a very young age. And the confidence in myself and the belief in myself that whoever stepped in front of me that I believe I was gonna win. So talk to me a bit about walking out the ring. The day you fought kind of higher. Again, as is like I mean there was I said there was three thousand people there. I mean it was on RT and nobody I would say very, very few people believed they could win. And to be honest, looking back at it now, if I was looking in at a seventeen year old coming up to fight someone who was twenty six, twenty-seven, who achieved so much. You'd be kinda doubting it as well. You'd be saying, I'm a bit younger. It might be physically strong enough or you might have the experience. But I was I was just that young lad that just fearless, very, very strong. And walking into that ring it was just like Whatever it takes, I'm gonna win this fight. I'm gonna win this fight. If I have to go into the deep end, if I have to find something different, I'm gonna pull out a bag and I'm gonna be victorious. Were you ever in a a dog fight or a match? yeah, absolutely. I was in some fights where momentum was highly again me. Highly again me and and and and I found a way to win. found a way to win. There'd be a body shot or there'd be something that just changed the momentum or slightly. I think it's very important the fires have to understand too that instruction from a coach and a corner is always hugely important. But a lot of fires depends on Instructions from the coach when they go back or waiting for this vice to call in something. I think really truly, as a as a as a fighter, you've got to be able to find that yourself. You gotta be able to understand to me when you're in there, something's not going right. How do I change it? What do I do to change it? And that's where the really good fighters are in sport in general, the the really good people, the athletes out there that's able to automatically just change it within within within a second and able to find some way to obviously change momentum and and and get the best out of themselves and and that's where you can see the the the special ones where someone was always waiting for that vice or waiting for that that minute break. So I think it's it's huge for these kids to understand that sometimes that they had to be able to figure it out for themselves. And that's why kinda in involving the club as well that kinda say when we're the corners, that we kinda sit back and let these fires kinda figure out for themselves because as again go back to the point is that a lot of them is waiting now for that something to say the cornerman to say something. I think that's in every sport though. I think in every sport the coaches are there to offer you what they see. But you have to have that smartness about you to be able to adopt and overcome your challenge whatever you're in. I think so and I think it's you it's it's very important. I think it's very important. And I think if you want to go to that next level, you've got to be able to change not only one but two or three times. You gotta have three two or three or four different different strategies to be able to change it. So talk to me about young that so ta young kids coming up, what advice would you give to them in that situation? Again, just obvious work hard, believe in yourself, listen to your coaches, in the gym. But again when you're when you're in there, you you gotta believe in yourself and gotta be able to find a way to to always to change things up and to to be confident in yourself. Confidence is the key. Belief to me, believe in yourself and be fearless in the way that just get in there and and and and and do what you can do like. And does elite boxers get nervous? Yeah, everyone gets nervous. You need because if you wanna achieve something or you wanna get the best out of yourself, you're gonna have a certain amount of nerves. But it's about controlling them and use them in a positive way to to always give it that extra edge, that extra that adrenaline where y you you're you're quicker, you you're you're thinking faster, you're moving faster, you're reacting faster. And that's what you can use for butt nerves can take over a certain amount of people. I've seen people in the gym that looked look like word beers. when the lights is on them they mean you You you just can't find it. You just can't find it. Like this doesn't happen for the man. And I'm sure you've seen it yourself in football and that you see the guys training and tame about football and you say this guy is really, really good and then as soon as the whistle goes, yeah, from person. Nurs takes up them. Yeah, we often say on the refereeing side, like referee and especially particularly in a cup final, referee the game in front of you, don't referee the occasion. Lights go on, blow the first whistle and shit go we've even the same in the army. No s no plans avoided first contact. This is their plan. you have the minute contact happens, you're in the world of shit. Because you have to adopt whatever's in front of you. Very true. And that's what they say with boxing is also we all have tactics that get punched in the face. To me, like when all tactics are the wind and then but it's a true saying like to me you have to adapt to what's happening in in in in in that moment and and that's the key. And again go back to the social media thing, a lot of that obvious can can overwhelm a lot of people, a lot of kids now in this day and age where to see guys that are fighting or to have this record or people for instance in in football and manage and you had a bad game previous or or or there's a certain club that don't like him and all that and all of a sudden you stand to build moment or standard I would put doubts in their heads so do we need to do we need to do this or we need to do that rather than you just need to be yourself and as you said that's what what you see in front of you is is what you you act on. I have to give you some credit. I called you I asked you out to do this and you're back to me within a few minutes. And what I like about you as well, you if some of the boxing clubs were put comments under the co under under the the my comments. And you're back, answering them back. Yeah. Yeah, I think it's it's it's me it's about giving back and and I think it's it's very important to do these local things. Like I'm from here from Oklahoma myself and went to school here in Oklahoma, I live in Motorby, but I went to school here in Dean Kelly and I know yourself and I know a lot more people and I think it's very important to get back to the community and think it's it's very important to be be given the opportunity and I'm grateful too to be on these shows because the conversation me and you had might inspire someone else or just might say just be some of this conversation that might just help them along to it yeah it doesn't have to be boxing either it can be any sport. Any sport to mean it just might help along the way and it just might give them an an extra bit of a push to me because that's very important too. How do you control fear before a fight? Fear I wouldn't I wouldn't I know doesn't that you've talked to last twenty minutes. Yeah I wouldn't call fear no fear is But you went in against kind eagan there. I know you know weren't a f fear wasn't weren't a fear of him, but for his what his achievements were. I know not you, but someone else might come up against you. Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's it's it's maybe obviously you started maybe as you said, new the occasion, or maybe sometimes you said that there is what they have achieved can obviously and what people might be saying around you can always put bit of doubt in your mind. But I I think again it's back to self belief. Believe in yourself. To me. Nobody can tell you what you can achieve. You can achieve what you believe in, what what work are you put in as an individual. And and that and that's the key like to me. Nobody can tell you how hard you can work or or what you need to do to be a better better person. It's all totally down to you what your actions is, what what work you want to put in, what mindset you have, how you wanna always carry yourself and how you want to perform. It's all based on on on an individual. non negotiable values. So in terms of non negotiable for training camp for you what's non negotiable. So to have to happen. For me it's very important that not taking any shortcuts to me, not taking any shortcuts. Not saying to yourself, I'll do it tomorrow or I'll do it later. You get up, you set a plan, you stick to the plan. Some days you might feel like that. Some days you might retire, some days something might go wrong. you get up, you have a plan, you stick to it, and it all pays off at the end of it. Yeah, absolutely. Have you ever fought injured? yeah, yeah, I've I've been injured in in big major tournaments where I obvious damaged my hand in the first fight and I had to carry on for three or four more fights. Just manage it the best way you can I think that's very important. Now when you bring in a ball in the team and you have the best physios, you have the best people around you to can that can help you to You make it as easy as possible to me when you get in there that you're you're not too much worried about. Absolutely. What's the hardest mental battle you've ever faced? I would say injuries. Injuries is is is probably the hardest because for certain times like for instance when it dislocated you need not knowing the outcome. You mean and when sometimes when you I was going to Madison regards making a professional debut. And then something like that to happen to you. You kinda you kinda sometimes take it back and say, Mm, maybe like where where where where where am I now? Like is this going to be the end of it like to me? and y and you try to motivate yourself and say, No, look, I'm gonna get back, I'm gonna be stronger than ever but yeah, injuries is probably the hardest battle. Being on the rank for for quite some time is difficult as well because your ups and your downs, you obviously putting the work in your training hiring and all of us and then it doesn't happen so you have to regroup again and go again. But yeah, it's it's definitely it's can be tough. What metals mean mean the most to you? metals. Well, I'm the only male amateur Irish boxer to have three European gold medals elite, so that's pretty special. I think that's probably I've I've three world medals as well. I think I'm the only Irish man to have that as well, three league world medals in male. obviously Kate Taylor's next level, she has five or six worlds, five or six Europeans, but as a male fighter's not too bad. Yeah, I'll treat us. Savage. What does it feel to be like a role model? I never really think of being a role model. I am I just try try to be the person the day to the person who I am, just just get on with data life, help people out. Just give kids a good advice and be just just be grounded and be in that just who I am from a very young age and I don't think I'm any different than anybody else. I think I'm the same as the next person walking in the street and I would find a boxing club and everybody expose myself and I'd have a conversation with him the same way I'd have a conversation with Olympic champion or world champion. me is just and then they were committed as well and happening we go and happen everyone is a is equal to me. Brilliant. What was your best performance? Probably many of them. the few good ones. good performances. I look at that again when when beaten Ken Egan my first national and lead title seventeen was a huge performance as a huge underdog. and then obviously winning European gold medals. win an award junior gold medal to be my special. And so yeah, I've a lot And what to fee hurt you most? I would say the Olympics because it wasn't the defeat in a way that my the guy was a better fighter than me. It was the defeat in a manner a way that I could have went in and and been in mentally and physically better and in a better place. Okay. so I feel like that maybe sometimes looking back at maybe it was just and I don't try to develop too much and that's what I said we say I d I do forget about what happened, it will I mean tomorrow I forget about today because that's that's in the past. So it's just that yeah, I feel like that maybe with a little bit more of a a little bit more of a stronger in in mindset in a way that if I had to be a little bit more experienced that I probably would have yeah been different. Brilliant. The Olympics. What was it like walking through the Olympic village? Yeah, look y see People don't realise that how difficult it is to get the Olympics. I mean it's really, really difficult in a way that for me it was like an eight an eight year period because limited something always every four years, but yeah, you can be four years preparing for it. And some people obviously all their life when you're a young kid you obvious if you if you feel like you're you're gonna go on to do big things that's kinda always in the back of your mind at the Olympic games like I mean that's the pinnacle of sport in general. So yeah, it it took me a while because I was very unlucky going to London and when I lost on the compact, I was lost like means like with the scores of level and I went back to the to a second score basically and I lost on that and then I went to travel on for the second qualifier and I was really hard done by it where I felt like a wonder fight and and most people in the stadium felt like a wonder and at least fought the home fighter and the fire the fire would again me. So then just to regrown that and and and and and be sitting at home watching it. T V it wasn't nice feeling. So I said four years on for it, obviously I was lucky enough. But on my and on the qualifiers was I had to get to a world final to qualify. So that was a very difficult thing to do. Like I mean, you were a silver medal they they go to Olympic games because there was different kind of organizations where you had like A P B W S B and all this stuff was gone different qualifiers. So we're at kind of the world championships was one qualifier that I went to. I got to the final and and qualified so it was a huge relief and I qualified so far out which is like seven or eight months from the Olympics and I think that's where for me where it kinda went wrong because I wasn't active enough. I I I boxed like I never boxed from when I qualified to when I went into the Olympic games seven or eight months out of the ring it just wasn't it wasn't right. It just didn't sit well now looking back at it. You can do all the training you want in the gym but She's like, what did it what did it feel like to normally represent the country? Very proud moment. Like as I said, I represented a country when I was thirteen years old, twelve for the first time. I represented Ireland at the European Championships in in Portsmouth and when I was thirteen and I won a silver medal. And then from then on, every major that can be in boxing at that age group, I went on to a chip I went on to Junior, youth, elite, and many more obvious homes I went on to win and win my like it's just even to sit in the room and talk of the Olympics. Like it's for someone like me used to watch that on TV, like I'm sitting in a room with fellow who's been there done out wore a t-shirt. Like that's that's an unbelievable like and then that give back that, like at Lone Boxing Club to have an Olympian in the corner for these young kids, like that's unbelievable. Fair play to you, young one. they rode on to Madison Square Garden from one big thing to another. Madison Square Garden, like I I love New York. Absolutely love New York. And I actually remember the I remember hearing you were actually boxing. in Madison Square Garden. And I actually regret it as mob in the terms of like I don't think many people in the town give you the credit that you actually probably deserved and that's in my opinion. looking back and like I think this this town should have been this town should have been like if that was it anyway I was talking to Brank Brank Kennedy a few weeks ago and he was talking about his little village that Danig Dangan like they all come out to support. We had an Olympian and we had a local fellow fighting in Madison Square Garden. Like and I really, really hope people get out behind you in the three arena. Okay, but that's my opinion on it. But and Madison Square Garden, every boxer's dream is a fight in Madison Square Garden, that's me promo, yeah. Yeah absolutely it's it's to make a to make a box like Madison Square Garden. I was lucky enough fight there five times. You five times? Five times I fought Madden Square Gardens, yeah. Didn't know that man at all. Yeah, so I fought there five times. So I fought in the in the big arena which is the the the big one three times and I fought in the Hoodia T or twice. So to be given the opportunity to fight someone like that, it was very special. And I've been blessed and lucky to be able to get that experience to be able to fight someone like that. yeah and Obvious the debut didn't go to plan but the four times did so it it's it's grant to look back and Will you be back there someday again? Yeah, hopefully. Look at that I I've been I've been as I said I've been blessed to fight to five times already, so Yeah, a few d like the tree arena for me is gonna be special. Do you mean it's it's it's it's places like that where you have somewhere close to home where people as you say can get out and support you and can get to see you. Do you know when people who who really want to see you achieve, want to see you do well, wants to support ya. There is so many of them out there in in in in locally and that might never get the opportunity to be able to travel into like some as a great garden or something like that. To be able to come to the tree arena in Dublin and witness me fighting and That's why I think what makes it really special to be able to fight somewhere close to home. And that's why I was looking so forward to fighting here in McLaurin in that in the stadium to be able to do that for people and to be able to inspire the younger generation that if you really work hard and and believe in it and and put the work in that these is these opportunities you can be given. that you can fight in these big arenas or you can fight someone local and and I think I can inspire a lot of people and Hopefully someday I will get the opportunity to fight her in Atlon locally to be able to to give that back and to be able to show people that th anything is possible to be believing. And that'll be particularly nice if it happened in a few years and the Aculon Boxing Club be set up in around the area as well. I think it'd be very special. I think it would be I think it will be really special and I think a lot of people would support it and get behind it. fairy tale ending. Absolutely, yeah. Then you you had a major injury Madison. Yeah, I had one in two thousand nineteen unfortunately and dislocated my knee in a fight that was going pretty smoothly. so yeah, so it's it's it's it's hard times. Freak action as well. Yeah, free just just stepped back on onto my left foot and with a blue knee. so yeah it was a big setback, big big setback but Yeah I am I'm still going twenty odd years there, I'm still boxing and I still I feel like I'm as fresh and as as good as ever. Was the rehab difficult? It was, it took a long time. It took a good few months and d it took longer than we thought because it wasn't so much about the rehab it was about. Unfortunately, I I went back to America in February twenty twenty. And just as a as I was preparing for a fight down in Boston, obviously COVID came in so that kinda set everything back for another little while. So yeah, it took me a while to get back into the ring but as I said everything happened to a reason. Maybe that was the best best time out to be out of the ring because of the injury glad heel better and Issues at all, like no problems and body is as healthy as ever. Savage. Irish boxing. Why is Ireland so successful in amateur boxing? Success breed success. I think we had so many great teams down through years, with a good system in place. To me, I believe that we had the best coach in the world. I believe that Sorantia really changed Irish boxing, the way he he his fundamental skills, the way he he he could demonstrate, the way he could break it out and show ya. And I think that's where Irish boxing really took off and that man came involved and back in two thousand. that's that's when Irish boxing was really, really, really at its at its best for the many years like leading up to the Olympics in thousand and eight, thousand twelve, thousand sixteen. The major medals Ireland had won and and not only from like one boxer, two boxers, there was like a team of boxers that was able to pick them up. That just shows you of the obvious the coach and and the and the the the plan and the structure he had in place for all of us. And I think a lot of now the a lot of coaches, local coaches, club coaches, all kind of took that on board and brought back to their own coach or clubs so they're able to develop them now at a very young age as we spoke about and it gives them kind of it gives them a usual experience so when you get to that next level now they already have that kind of the fundamental skills properly and they're able to obvious deliver. Yeah so I think but we're in a little bit of a phase now where Irish boxing is not a strong male wise so transition I would maybe say it is and hopefully c we can get it back because there's so much great young talent out there and so many good fighters out there. It's just getting one or two guys now to really go and drive into the next level and and get over the line so they're they're they they can start to build momentum again and start the younger guys coming out to the team can start the to follow them. Do you see yourself in years to come being at coaching at that level? never say never but I really enjoy coaching the club at the moment, giving back coaching young kids developing them. but I've been lucky enough to be in the assistant for so long in the high performance. I've been lucky enough to be knowing all the coaches, knowing the directors and stuff like that. and know the habit they're doing everything in their power to always get these lads to to start achieving again and start really taking to the next level so who knows what what times can bring. Brilliant. Who's the most talented Irish boxer you ever shared a ring with? But excluding yourself though. Well Can we economy? There's many. There's a few, yeah, there's a few good lads, so anyway. Obviously Jason Crickley was a good lad. few major medals would have been in the ring with him. You had Rai Sheen. You had yeah, you took a good few lads that was good talented fighters that always worked hard and that I was in the ring s sparring and training. Is there any young Irish boxer coming up that you say watch the space with this lad? Definitely a few, definitely a few really good Irish fighters coming up that has huge potential to go on and achieve great things as long as they keep keep their head down to mean and and just keep working hard and keep listening to where we're listening to I think from the point. And then Katie Taylor come back to fight in Club Park. I think it's special. I think it's it's nothing less than she deserves. And what Katie Taylor has done for sport is is absolutely amazing what she's achieved. And and where and where she started from like she started from somewhere that boxing wasn't even female boxing wasn't even recognised and she just believed in it again, believed in herself, believed in that she could change it and and things could be different in in few years obviously when she was she was starting out and fair play to her and I'm looking up to know Katie as as a friend and I think I'm just delighted to see now she given the opportunity to go out there in in a fairy tale ending where she gets the opportunity to to to fight in Crow Park where she's she's she she's just sold out eighty thousand is amazing and I just hopefully everything goes well for September and she she won't win her own terms and and and be known as the the greatest to me the greatest athlete that Ireland ever had. Unbelievable yeah. She's like she has definitely changed the society of female boxing and and men boxing, but there's more female in the game now. Huge, huge like female boxing is in Ireland is is probably her strongest at the moment. Yeah. To mean and that's the Navy D age. and she is the one that obvious that drove that forward and and made that happen. Katie Taylor is the face of boxing. Yeah. Katie Taylor is the face of boxing. You can ask anybody. I mean, you should outside this door now and ask nine out of ten people who Katie Taylor is and I'll tell you who she is. Like you might never have even watched boxing to me, but she is who she is and she is because of her success and because of of her of the way she ducks herself and the way her lifestyle and and and hard work and she she done over them so many years and it's great to see and I said I'm lucky enough to know her, lucky enough to travel around the world Olympic games where and you wouldn't have you wouldn't meet a nicer person. And and she deserves everything she has achieved and everything she's done and as I said it's great to see her now go out on her own terms and being given opportunity to do that she she always wanted to be is to fight in Crow Park and hear this. Yeah and I actually someone told me recently about her she's actually an unbelievable footballer she was. She played for Ireland, yeah. She played for Ireland. Soccer, great soccer player. I mean she's a she's she's a talented person. She's very talented. I mean then she's one in a one in a lifetime. I mean they don't they don't make too many K tailers. Yeah. Well we finish off a few quick fire round questions at you. The toughest the toughest sorry, the hardest box you've ever received. Hardest box I've ever received. Quite a few them now. I've never been dropped, never been They never dropped now? Never dropped, no, I've never been down. So so there's no one specifically one that I can say that put me on my arse. Your toughest opponent? I would definitely have to say obviously my toughest opponent was LaCruz, he was the Cuban. I fought him five times, fought him in two world finals in the semifinal. He beat me every time he fought in the Chemistry Cup, so he beat me five times. Obviously Narjan just got a little bit closer as as I kept fighting him. But he to me he probably got on as one the greatest Cuban fires ever and there's a lot of cool Cuban fires. He's two times Olympic champion, seven times world gold medal. there was just something special about him that he was just that's a little bit quicker than me and midlife very hard for us. But look it it is what it is. He was a great dancer partner and obvious I learned a lot from him being in there to ring with him and the last time I fought was in Germany and it came down to a three two split decision. Okay and I thought I thought To win it, but he got the decision and I said, Look it, that's it, time to go, pro. Okay. The smartest boxer you ever boxed against. Again it had to be him. He was just his IQ was amazing. there was some great fighters I fought down through the years. But he was just he was just someone you you see somebody that just He's just not someone that you could train in a sense that you never train his style. Okay. There's no one that trains his style hands down beside his waist. I mean great reflexes. so he was kind of very unauthorac, but what he did was really good. Yeah. I mean and that's what shows his success. Your most favourite venue the boxing? It have to be Madison Square. Yeah. And that's the mega box and that's where Muhammad Ali fought down through the earth. So they mean so many great fighters like to meet fighters that's just living legends and and some of them just to begin being able to walk into that venue and Just to know like this is it, like the mega boxing and professional boxing. To even sit in Madison Square Garden in the venue with it to be a guest watching something. It's not believable, but that you boxing in it. your best atmosphere ever. Best atmosphere. I would go back to say my I I believe the best atmosphere I were ever getting was again back to national championships in twenty eleven, twelve and thirteen when I fucking eat. The atmosphere was electric. Okay. To me it was just amazing like the the stadium was absolutely full. I would say the it was evil over the capacity. There was that many people queuing up outside to go in and watch the the the great fights myself and Kenny had and it was just the the whole nice around it and the and obvious Kenny obvious what he was doing in his life and what I was doing in young cook coming up and it was just great rivalry and I felt like the atmosphere was electric. I mean I fought some amazing arenas around the world like it were just twenty thousand people, fifteen thousand people, but sometimes three or four thousand people of your own fans and yeah and and Maybe half and half, shouting for you and shouting again. It's a different sort of feeling and it gives him goosebumps where you think like, Wow, like this this is what it's all about, like to me, taking the roof off. Like he says like we're a team I play in a team a team performance. You're an individual kind of kinda sport spoiled performance. Walking up to a stadium, I have a team of four or whatever. You're going up by yourself, like what's that feeling walking up to these are here to watch me, like me. It's electric. It's mostly amazing when you look back at. But when you're in it, you're zoned in. There's very little noise you can hear. because you're so focused on what you you obviously you're you you're planning to do, obviously you're gonna you have a your your good mindset and way that you revision. So obviously y you think about not obvious on the night but you're thinking about leading up to it. I mean what way are you gonna approach it and and you kinda have you kinda stick to it. but sometimes looking back at it and you just you see it like you still be giving the goose hope. You're still thinking, wow like this is this is you don't want this to ever end. Yeah. And we know sport is it's it's don't last forever. And so yeah the thing you'd love to bottle up and keep forever. Yeah, it's just it's it's that trend that just it's it's amazing how how how how how strong it is and just for it's just for you as you said, like you're the person that goes in there and you're the person that has to give the people what the what they come and and pay for is to see a great contest or a great great performance and something opposed to be able to deliver it. If you had to fight someone ever, if you had to you watch your dream opponent from the past or present, who would it be? For me it'd have to be the greatest ever. I mean, he he's he was in the Olympics a light heavyweight and and to be able just to be able to share the ring with him and just to be see obvious what he was really like in front of him would be Muhammad Ali. Yeah of course. To me he was the greatest and still is the greatest fighter. but yeah, just to be in the ring with him. We both followed late heavyweight in the Olympics just to be see like what what made him really special. What what what what is it that he stole that from everybody else. So it would have to be my mind. Your favourite Irish boxer ever? Even growing up, did you have a favourite boxer? Yeah, favourite Irish boxer ever. Favorite boxer. There's some good ones down through the ears always watching boxing. was was very good. recently obviously had like say Car Frampton was really good. you had Bernard Dunn. These all boxers Andy Lee. These all boxers I kinda grew up watching and fighting in as a professional and yeah. The greatest boxer of all time is kinda answer that question really. In Ireland or in the world I would say Mahoma League, yes. Now you have what you have other people now in different eras where you have like so flying may weather and all these guys that's always great fighters, amazing fighters, but I think Mahamlade was for his time. And do you think f money has killed the with the sport? I wouldn't say so much money. I would say maybe a little bit of social media. Okay. and all this like misfist boxing and that's how I am at yeah all this misfits boxing and stuff like that has kind of it's it's Sometimes it's about hardcraft and and and achieving and giving yourself the opportunity. But now sometimes it feels like how many followers do you have? How can you promote yourself? How can you really sell yourself where you can maybe get them opportunities a little bit easier than it would maybe a good few years ago where you'd have to really go on to achieve great things in in in in in major tournaments as an amateur be given that opportunity regarding promoter come on board and and sign you and want you to to to develop you. so I think it's a lot more it's a lot more would I say easier. It's a lot more easier in a way that you don't maybe have to be as gifted. You don't really have to be is is hard graft than in the gym than you would be maybe maybe a good few years ago where you can you have someone following you with a camera now and doing a bit of broadcast and and building your hype up you might you might get an opportunity. Yeah. But I don't feel I don't feel like that's right. I feel like that you should stick to what you do, train hard and should be rewarded as per like me for what you what you watch yours a as a fighter or sports person. If your career ended tomorrow, what would you be most proud of? If my career ended tomorrow, what I'd be most proud of. I'd be most proud of how I carried myself. Stay in it and be at the highest level to mean so that's a credit to myself, I have a look out on my body. And never thought about like neglecting myself or putting myself in situations where it could could damage myself and I think that's very important I look back and I have no regrets. No regrets of my career absolutely. So how would you like people to remember Joe Ward? So very, very, very someone who's been there done it all and that the best Irish boxer ever. And so I that's not me quoting, I quoted a few I said before. Yeah yeah absolutely look at everyone's gonna have their opinion who's the best and all that but definitely I'm up there with with with being in that kind of bracket of being the best Irish player ever. and that's good as I just say it's good to hear from other people, rather for me to say it. but I think you're right card speaks for itself and to many people believes I'm the best. Very happy to hear that. Has boxing given you more than it's took away? Absolutely. I mean boxing has has has given me huge opportunities. I mean I've I'd been lucky enough to travel the world. I mean meet so many great people. Boxing huge venues. and just to be just open doors for me. that's important and and I said looking back at now be giving me an opportunity to be a role model as you said or be able to get back to other young people around and kids and stuff like that. So boxing has been massive, it gave me huge opportunities but also too it gave me a great life. Give me a great life that I mean I don't know what I would be doing when if I didn't have it. Like what what would would have been doing like boxing has has really given me a lot. Not and I appreciate everything that has given me so far and I've still yet to go. Yeah, yes, it's not over yet. What advice would you give every young boxer? yourselves and there's gonna be highs, there's gonna be lows, but if you keep working hard you will get you will come out to your setup. And how can people that's listen to this or watch this follow your next few weeks? Yeah look at it it's always social media is key so I always I'll be keeping people updated on social media, Instagram, Facebook about how things is going and camps and stuff like that. So obviously can follow that and just yeah keep the head down and Yeah the A of August and Yeah, to go in there and just be a hundred percent and a great ruthless performance and getting back in the ring. The last question I'm gonna finish off on I've I said this to to bring Kennedy as well. what's the hardest training session you've ever done? I would say I would say soccer training is very difficult sometimes. think taking over comfort zone and and pushing it to the limit. I like that actually the well. I heard that that's an army sound as well. So that's very important too. So yeah, I think like hard soccer trend for me is is is tough. Boxing for me it's it's it's a little bit more because I'm so used to it. Yeah, yeah. I mean with when you sometimes when you're dragged out of that and you're you're putting into a session where you're not so comfortable and you just have to find a way to to to get through it and and to do it and to have the mental strength to be able to push through it and and say to yourself like when this is all over that you know you got that that that one percent better. Yeah, sounds so we'll finish off too Joe and I wish you the best of luck going forward in with the fight in the three arena. I'm sure we'll all go to sport yeah. And we might get you back then in a few weeks' time, or maybe a few months' time and back to Athlone and try to promote Athlon Boxing Club bit more and try to get a bit of funding for locally for if we can. I would really appreciate it, Dan. Thanks very much. I really appreciate you coming in and and busy scheduling and training camp at the moment and I really appreciate messing up forward. Absolutely, thanks very much and it's great for you. Thanks, Sean. Jesus, that's it.