SUPER-featherweight Martin Ward is closing in on a world title shot. He is set for a final eliminator for the IBF title against Azinga Fuzile on the May 29 Devin Haney-Jorge Linares bill in Las Vegas.
โItโs been a long, hard route. Heโs finally one step away now from his shot at the title. He was a little bit unlucky really not getting the vacant shot,โ his trainer Tony Sims told Boxing News. โHe won the Lonsdale belt outright. Heโs won the Commonwealth. Heโs won the European, he had that defeat against [James] Tennyson and heโs bounced back with a few wins.โ
โThe night he fought Tennyson, he had Tennyson on the floor, he was unlucky not to get him out of there,โ Sims continued. โHe [Tennyson] is like the biggest super-featherweight youโve ever seen. He can bang with both hands and heโs a big animal. Itโs one of those things, he got done by him [but Ward] is a world class fighter.โ
Joe Cordina, a fighter at the same weight in the same gym, is also highly ranked. โJoe obviously gained a lot of experience sparring Martin,โ Tony said. โFunnily enough Martin turned round to me and said I feel like Joe coming to the gym has brought myself on even further. Joe was a top amateur when he turned pro and they both feel like they brought each other on a lot. Iโm thankful to have two world class fighters at the same weight in the gym sparring together.โ
They have helped each other. โItโs a very difficult weight to win a world title, youโve got Gervonta Davis and [Oscar] Valdez, itโs a very, very difficult weight,โ Sims added. โJamel Herring showed what a good fighter he was as well when dismantling Frampton.
โWith the four world titles, although Iโve got two world class fighters in the same weight, luckily enough they can both take different routes.โ
Read Tony Sims on what next for Conor Benn here