Breaking News: The fight has been cancelled due to an unspecified problem affecting Oscar Riojas.
Oscar Riojas, a veteran of 43 pro fights with 28 victories, is “Mighty” Joe Ward’s opponent at the Colisee, Trois-Rivières in Montreal, Canada, this Friday night. It will be the Westmeath light heavyweight’s first scheduled eight-rounder as he seeks glory in the sweet science.
“He’s a tough guy, a capable guy,” Ward’s trainer Joey Gamache said of Riojas, who at age 38 is 10 years older than Ward.
“The guy’s got experience. It’s a good move, Joe will get some rounds and we’ll move on from there,” Gamache told the Echo.
It will be a battle of south paws in which Ward, who is 6-foot-one, will have a two-inch height advantage. Born in Laredo, Texas, Riojas fights out of Monterrey, Mexico. Ward is now fighting out of Long Island.
The Irish prospect’s last fight was a first round KO off Mississippi native Britton Norwood in their scheduled six-round contest at Madison Square Garden last December. It upped his ledger to 6-1 [3 KOs].
Managed by Times Square Boxing Co., Ward was an amateur standout. He won gold medals at the European Championships in 2011, 2015 and 2017, silver at the World Championships in 2015 and 2017. He also represented Ireland at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
COYLE TITLE TILT
Elsewhere in the Irish boxing universe, Derry product Connor “The Kid” Coyle gets a shot at the WBA Gold (NABA) middleweight title on May 28 at the Caribe Royal Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Coyle, who’s 31, started 2022 with a bang, retiring KO artist Rodrigo Lopes Rodrigues at the end of the fifth stanza to retain his ABF Continental Americas middleweight title at Memorial Hall in Melrose, Massachusetts, last month.
