AIMING HIGH

Ward now chasing IBF title, writes Roy Kelly from ringside

TOMMY WARD has relinquished his British super-bantamweight crown to pursue a world belt. The undefeated 24-year-old’s decision appears to have been vindicated after outclassing Spanish champion

Alvaro Rodriguez in a unanimous 10-round verdict for the International Boxing Federation’s European strap.

Highly rated among all the sanctioning bodies Ward has set out on the IBF route and what a confident first step the classy 122lb boxer made on this Dennis Hobson promotion, in association with Dave Garside and Phil Jeffries.

You suspect it will require a supreme talent or a heavy-hitter to get the better of the West Rainton boxer. His chin has yet to be seriously tested, largely due to the fact no-one can get near it.

Rodriguez had neither the gifts nor the power to worry Ward, whose lightning quick hands dominated matters, especially in round nine when referee Howard Foster kept a close eye on the Madrid fighter, who made it all the way. Michael Alexander and Giuseppe Commercio scored it 100-90 with Dutch judge Lahcen Oumghar marking it 99-91.

Elsewhere, it was a good night for Newcastle and a busy one for referee Ron Kearney who controlled all eight four-threes. Lewis Ritson stablemate

Terence Wilkinson impressed in a 40-37 win over Plymouth’s

Mohamed Mahmoud, while fellow Geordie Joe Laws forced James Gorman to retire at the end of the first after felling the Belfast veteran with a wicked left to the body.

The only other early finish saw Mr Kearney intervene at 1-36 of round three as Ferryhill’s Kyle Redfearn repeatedly thumped Latvia’s Jevgenijs Andrejevs. Middlesbrough’s Mohammed Waqas returmed after a five-year absence with a 40-35 win over the Czech Republic’s Patrik Bartos.

Redcar’s Tom Hill , Anth Hardy (Horden), Jordan Ellison, from Seaham, and Spennymoor’s Chad Ellis all eased to 40-36 shut-outs against Lithuanian Andrej Cepur, Wigston’s Michael Williams, Alec Bazza (Belfast) and Bangor’s Casey Blair respectively.

THE VERDICT Ward marches on.