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.
“It’s been a long, hard route. He’s finally one step away now from his shot at the title. He was a little bit unlucky really not getting the vacant shot,” his trainer Tony Sims told Boxing News. “He won the Lonsdale belt outright. He’s won the Commonwealth. He’s won the European, he had that defeat against [James] Tennyson and he’s bounced back with a few wins.”
“The night he fought Tennyson, he had Tennyson on the floor, he was unlucky not to get him out of there,” Sims continued. “He [Tennyson] is like the biggest super-featherweight you’ve ever seen. He can bang with both hands and he’s a big animal. It’s one of those things, he got done by him [but Ward] is a world class fighter.”
Joe Cordina, a fighter at the same weight in the same gym, is also highly ranked. “Joe obviously gained a lot of experience sparring Martin,” Tony said. “Funnily 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. I’m thankful to have two world class fighters at the same weight in the gym sparring together.”
They have helped each other. “It’s a very difficult weight to win a world title, you’ve got Gervonta Davis and [Oscar] Valdez, it’s a very, very difficult weight,” Sims added. “Jamel Herring showed what a good fighter he was as well when dismantling Frampton.
“With the four world titles, although I’ve got two world class fighters in the same weight, luckily enough they can both take different routes.”