| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname | The Quiet Man[2] | |||||||||||
| Born | (1990-04-18) 18 April 1990[2] Belfast, Northern Ireland[2] | |||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[2] | |||||||||||
| Weight | Cruiserweight, Light-heavyweight, Heavyweight | |||||||||||
| Boxing career | ||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||
| Boxing record[1] | ||||||||||||
| Total fights | 19 | |||||||||||
| Wins | 15 | |||||||||||
| Win by KO | 5 | |||||||||||
| Losses | 4 | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||
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.svg/1280px-Silver_medal_icon_(S_initial).svg.png){kind=icon}
Steven Ward (born 18 April 1990) is an Irish former professional boxer. He held the WBO European light-heavyweight title in 2019. As an amateur, Ward won the silver medal in the heavyweight category at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Career
After an amateur career which included winning the heavyweight division silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and three Ulster senior titles, Ward turned professional in August 2016.[3][4] He made his pro-debut on 5 November that year at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast, defeating Merdjidin Yuseinov on points over four rounds.[5]
With a perfect record of seven wins from seven contests, Ward claimed his first professional title by beating Steve Collins Jr. on points for the vacant BUI Celtic light-heavyweight championship at Windsor Park in Belfast on 18 August 2018.[6]
He faced Liam Conroy for the vacant WBO European light-heavyweight title at Ulster Hall in Belfast on 21 June 2019. The bout was halted in the eighth round because of a cut he sustained during an accidental clash of heads. At that stage, all three ringside judges' scorecards had Ward ahead 76–75, meaning he won the contest via unanimous technical decision.[7][8][9]
Ward made the first defense of his title against Ričards Bolotņiks at the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, England, on 14 December 2019, in a fight which doubled as a quarter-final in the Golden Contract tournament run by MTK Global. He was knocked to the canvas three times in the opening round before the referee stopped the bout, handing his opponent a technical knockout victory.[10][11]
On 16 January 2021, Ward faced 2018 World's Strongest Man and Game of Thrones star, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, in a three-round exhibition match at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai. The contest was declared a draw.[12][13]
Switching up in weight categories to cruiserweight, he fought Kamshybek Kunkabayev for the vacant WBA Gold title at CSKA Sport Complex in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 11 December 2021. Ward suffered a severe cut caused by what the referee ruled to be an accidental elbow from his opponent which forced the fight to be ended in round seven. He lost via unanimous technical decision as all three judges had Kunkabayev 70–62 in the lead at the time of the stoppage.[14][15]
A more than two-year hiatus from the competitive boxing ring followed, before Ward returned to action on 30 March 2024, recording a points win over six rounds against Perry Howe at Ulster Hall in Belfast.[16]
On 19 July 2024, he faced Juergen Uldedaj for the vacant IBF International cruiserweight title at Motorspace Dubai Investments Park in Dubai, taking the fight at two weeks notice after Uldedaj's original opponent, Claudio Squeo, withdrew due to injury.[16][17] Ward lost by stoppage in the fifth round.[18][19]
He got back to winning ways in his next outing, stopping Tommy McCarthy in the sixth of their scheduled 10-round contest at the SSE Arena in Belfast on 1 March 2025.[20][21]
Ward faced Mike Perez for the vacant WBA Intercontinental cruiserweight title at Portman Road in Ipswich, England, on 7 June 2025. He was sent to the canvas twice in the eighth round and again in the ninth, at which point his corner threw in the towel to end the fight.[22][23]
Ward announced his retirement from professional boxing on 23 June 2025.[24][25]
Personal life
Ward founded and runs Fight2Thrive, an organisation aimed at helping young people in Northern Ireland to improve their mental and physical fitness.[26][27]
Professional boxing record
| 19 fights | 15 wins | 4 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 5 | 3 |
| By decision | 9 | 1 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Loss | 15–4 | Mike Perez | TKO | 9 (10), 0:49 | 7 Jun 2025 | Portman Road, Ipswich, England | For vacant WBA Intercontinental cruiserweight title |
| 18 | Win | 15–3 | Tommy McCarthy | TKO | 6 (10), 1:17 | 1 Mar 2025 | SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 17 | Loss | 14–3 | Juergen Uldedaj | TKO | 5 (10), 2:46 | 19 Jul 2024 | Motorspace Dubai Investments Park, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | For vacant IBF International cruiserweight title |
| 16 | Win | 14–2 | Perry Howe | PTS | 6 | 30 Mar 2024 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 15 | Loss | 13–2 | Kamshybek Kunkabayev | TD | 7 (10), 1:05 | 11 Dec 2021 | CSKA Sport Complex, Almaty, Kazakhstan | For vacant WBA Gold cruiserweight title |
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Jone Volau | PTS | 6 | 30 Sep 2020 | Production Park Studios, South Kirkby, West Yorkshire, England | |
| 13 | Loss | 12–1 | Ričards Bolotņiks | TKO | 1 (10), 2:21 | 14 Dec 2019 | Brentwood Centre, Brentwood, Essex, England | Lost WBO European light-heavyweight title |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Liam Conroy | TD | 8 (10) | 21 Jun 2019 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Won vacant WBO European light-heavyweight title |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Abdullah Arabie | RTD | 5 (6), 3:00 | 26 Apr 2019 | York Hall, London, England | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Josip Perkovic | PTS | 8 | 29 Mar 2019 | Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Rolando Leonel Paredes Ramirez | DQ | 9 (10), 2:08 | 5 Oct 2018 | Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Paredes, after having one point deducted in the fourth round, was disqualified for repeated headbutts |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Steve Collins Jr. | PTS | 8 | 18 Aug 2018 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Won vacant BUI Celtic light-heavyweight title |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Michal Ciach | TKO | 3 (6), 2:48 | 21 Apr 2018 | SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Przemyslaw Binienda | PTS | 6 | 18 Nov 2017 | SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Attila Tibor Nagy | TKO | 1 (6), 1:30 | 16 Sep 2017 | Devenish Complex, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Istvan Orsos | TKO | 4 (6), 3:00 | 17 Jun 2017 | Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Curtis Gargano | PTS | 4 | 10 Mar 2017 | Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Remigijus Ziausys | PTS | 4 | 3 Dec 2016 | Hilton Hotel, Coventry, England | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Merdjidin Yuseinov | PTS | 4 | 15 Nov 2016 | Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Exhibition boxing record
| 1 fight | 0 wins | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Draw | 0–0–1 | Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson | D | 3 | 16 January 2021 | Conrad Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
References
- ^ "Boxing record for Steven Ward". BoxRec.
- ^ a b c d "Steven Ward". tapology.com. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Belfast amateur star to turn pro". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Ambitious boxer Stephen Ward is determined to make an instant impact". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Sizzling debut win for well-supported Steven Ward". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward too big and strong for Collins Jnr as local lads star at Windsor Park". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward comes through bloodbath to beat Conroy". Boxing News Online. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward Claims WBO Strap, Technical Nod Over Liam Conroy". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "WBO European Light Heavyweight War: Bloodied Steven Ward wins epic Ulster Hall brawl with Liam Conroy". wboboxing.com. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward: Northern Ireland man knocked out in first round by Latvian Ricards Bolotniks". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward stopped in first round of Golden Contract fight". Belfast Live. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward floored by Thor Bjornsson but comes back to rock 'The Mountain' with stunning third round of exhibition match against Game of Thrones star". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
- ^ "Belfast's Steven Ward draws with 2018 World's Strongest Man Hafthor Bjornsson". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
- ^ "Kunkabayev is the new Gold Cruiserweight champion". wbaboxing.com. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Kamshybek Kunkabayev Defeats Steven Ward Via Technical Decision in Almaty, Kazakhstan". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ a b "'Quiet Man' Steven Ward looking to get back on track with a short-notice title shot". Boxing News Online. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward fights Albanian 'superstar' in late notice title fight tonight". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Juergen Uldedaj stops Steven Ward in round five". Boxing News Online. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Uldedaj stops Ward, wins IBF International title". 024boxing.com. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward scores two knockdowns to win all-Belfast clash with friend Tommy McCarthy". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward Stops Tommy McCarthy in Battle of Friends". Irish Boxing. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Mike Perez halts Steven Ward in career-saving showdown". Boxing News Online. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Mike Pérez Stops Steven Ward in Nine, Claims WBA Intercontinental Cruiserweight Title". wbaboxing.com. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Belfast cruiserweight Steven Ward announces his retirement". Boxing News Online. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward announces retirement two weeks after Mike Perez loss". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Steven Ward fighting to thrive in life after boxing". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Belfast boxer using own experiences of 'coping with trauma and self-expression' to help young people with their mental health". The Irish News. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
