STEVEN Ward has a surprise title fight on Friday night when he takes on Juergen Uldedaj in Dubai for the vacant IBF International cruiserweight title. While the belt may seem like a bit of a trinket, it does offer the winner a step closer to world class status.
If Ward, 14-2 (4 KOs), wins it would be a huge turning point in the Belfast-born fighter’s career, having been on the verge of retirement last year.
By the end of 2023, Ward had not returned to the ring since December 2021 and many thought ‘The Quiet Man’ had quietly retired.
The last time he was in his prime was enough to make anyone consider their options. Kazakh boxer Kamshybek Kunkabayev in his own backyard was tough enough for Steven, who suffered a horrific cut above the eye and the fight was abandoned. After seven rounds, all three judges had Kunkabayev ahead 70-62.
The attempt to win the vacant WBA Gold Cruiserweight title sent Ward to the hospital and two years away from the ring, where he trained and sparred in anticipation of an invitation that never came.
Ward finally returned to the Ulster Hall on a Conlan Boxing show at the end of March, knocking out Perry Howe in six rounds but it looked like he was too weak and out of time.
Those six rounds could prove invaluable as he won the fight on relatively short notice at Motospace Dubai Investment Park on July 19.
Uldedaj, an Albanian of German descent, is 17-1 with just six knockouts. The 26-year-old’s only defeat came during a three-fight run in England when he lost to a mediocre Benoit Hubner in an eight-round bout with Howard Foster.
Ward will certainly take credit for that performance. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that Ward is a bigger threat to Uldedaj (with the Newtownabbey man’s amateur and professional experience) than his original opponent.
In April, Italy Claudio Squeo won the IBF title in the same division that Ward and Uldedaj are currently fighting in Dubai. Ready to defend his title, the Puglian was injured and Ward stepped in at just two weeks’ notice to keep his place in the main event.
