Joe Ward warns Marco Delgado he just has to turn up ahead of revenge mission

Joe Ward [2(2)-1(1)] has warned Marco Delgado [7(1)-1] he just has to turn up to get revenge in Puerto Rico this coming Thursday night.

The decorated former Irish amateur standout hopes to kick start his pro career on a Ring City USA card the day after St Patrick’s Day.

The Lou DiBella promoted light-heavyweight talent rematches the fighter he debuted against and is adamant he will secure victory.

Delgado holds a win over the Moate BC graduate, as a freak knee injury forced Ward to pull out of their clash a minute into the second round.

‘El Muneco’ of Turlock California went on to defeat another undefeated prospect in his next fight – and on paper looks a relative test for any fighter moving into his fourth contest.

However, Ward has no doubts he is the better man, arguing he was dominating before injury settled the fight in the wrong man’s favour.

The three time European and World Championships medalist claims he will pick up where he left off before his knee gave way to record routine victory.

“This was the opponent I wanted from day one. I wanted to put it right. I am 100% focused like I would be for any opponent,” a fit and fresh looking Ward told press this week.

“He has a number of wins and a bit of confidence. I know my level of fighting is higher than his and that will show on Thursday night. It’s just about me turning up. I told my team I wanted this rematch because I wanted to put this right,” he adds before stressing he wants to make a real impact over 2021.

“I want to go on to bigger and better things in the near future. I take one fight at a time, but I hope it’s a busy year. I’ll keep stepping up.”

Ward goes into the bout on the back of two quick-fire out of the blue wins in Mexico.

Reflecting on them he added: “It was great to get back in the ring after the injury. The two guys I fought weren’t up to the standard of where I am at, but I went in there ruthless and got them out of there as quickly as possible.”

Those fights were a help in putting to bed any fan fears with regard to a knee injury Ward also suffered during an amateur fight in 2013.

The fighter himself is confident the knee issue is one of the past, although he does admit there was some hard times to navigate and hard work to be put in en route back to full fitness.

“It was tough not knowing where I’d be when I got back on my feet and how long it would take me to get back in the ring, in addition to what long term damage it was going to cause.

“I was lucky enough that everything went well, and I got back on my feet. I had a good strong mindset that if I put the work in, I would be back fighting soon. It’s been a long, difficult time but I am looking forward to getting back in the ring to showcase my skills.”