No taking a knee for granted..
IRISH light-heavyweight
Joe Ward is taking positives from the lockdown.
The Westmeath man reckons it gives him more time to ensure his knee is as strong as it can be the next time he steps in the ring.
The southpaw is aiming at September for his comeback fight and hopes to have two outings under his belt by the year’s end.
Ward twisted his left knee in the second round of his pro debut against Marco Delgado on the Gennady Golovkin versus Sergiy Derevyanchenko undercard at Madison Square Garden last October.
The Rio 2016 Olympian – who suffered a similar injury to his left knee in 2013 – underwent months of rehab and made a steady recovery ahead of a planned comeback fight in the USA in March.
That outing was cancelled because of the pandemic, and Ward said: “America is up in the air at the moment.
“I believe it will be September before I fight again and I hope to have two fights this year. I’m eager to get in the ring.
“I knew when it happened the first time (knee injury) that if it happened again, it could end my career. So, when it did happen again, I thought that it was the end.
“But I have a good team behind me, and the lockdown gives me a little bit more time to ensure my knee is perfect. It was fine when I was in training camp for the March 14 fight which was cancelled.
“It will get better the longer I wait. It’s not a worry now, but I was devastated when it happened, not knowing if I would recover. Not knowing was always the hardest part.”