Stephen Ward gets Golden Contract quarter final date

Steven Ward ’s first Golden Contract fight will take in Essex on December 14.

It was this afternoon confirmed the light-heavyweight installment of the exciting new contest will play in a mid December.

The featherweight event-opener, which provided Irish interest via Davey Oliver Joyce and Tyrone McCullagh, played out on October 4 at York Hall, while the 140lb hopefuls, which includes Tyrone McKenna, plays on November 22 at the same venue.

The eight hopefuls from the 175lb division will compete for a lucrative deal with one of the world’s top promoters at the Brentwood Centre on December 14 – live on Sky Sports in the UK in association with Matchroom Boxing and on ESPN+ in the US in association with Top Rank.

With the likes of Hosea Burton, Liam Conroy, Lenin Castillo, Serge Michel Bob Ajisafe and of course Ward [12(4)-0] already confirmed for the tournament, a landmark night for Essex boxing is expected.

MTK Global Professional Development Coordinator Jamie Conlan said: “We’ve already seen the huge impact of the featherweight quarter-finals at York Hall and with the last eight of the super-lightweights taking place there too, it’s good to branch out in terms of venue.

“The fans in Essex will be thrilled to have something so high-profile on their doorstep and it promises to be another night of thrills and spills. We knew the featherweights would be dramatic but it exceeded all expectations and this can do the same.

“With this edition taking place in the highest of the three weight classes, we’re expecting heavier knockdowns and even more drama and it’s just great that these events are being broadcast to so many fans on both sides of the Atlantic.

“There are, of course, still two places in the 175lb competition still unfilled and the applications are flooding in because fighters know what a huge opportunity this is to change their lives.”

Confirmation of the final two contestants for the tournament will be forthcoming in due course.

While Ward now knows the where and the when of his first fight in an eight man tournament with a lucrative contract up for grabs, ‘The Quietman’ is still unaware as to the who.

The Jamie Moore trained fighter will only learn his opponent come fight week when the quarterfinal draw will take place.