Steven Ward (boxer)


Steven Ward 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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Ward lost by stoppage in the fifth round.
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.
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.
Ward announced his retirement from professional boxing on 23 June 2025.

Personal life

Ward founded and runs Fight2Thrive, an organisation aimed at helping young people in Northern Ireland to improve their mental and physical fitness.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
19Loss15–4Mike PerezTKO9, 0:497 Jun 2025Portman Road, Ipswich, EnglandFor vacant WBA Intercontinental cruiserweight title
18Win15–3Tommy McCarthyTKO6, 1:171 Mar 2025SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
17Loss14–3Juergen UldedajTKO5, 2:4619 Jul 2024Motorspace Dubai Investments Park, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesFor vacant IBF International cruiserweight title
16Win14–2Perry HowePTS630 Mar 2024Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
15Loss13–2Kamshybek KunkabayevTD7, 1:0511 Dec 2021CSKA Sport Complex, Almaty, KazakhstanFor vacant WBA Gold cruiserweight title
14Win13–1Jone VolauPTS630 Sep 2020Production Park Studios, South Kirkby, West Yorkshire, England
13Loss12–1Ričards BolotņiksTKO1, 2:2114 Dec 2019Brentwood Centre, Brentwood, Essex, EnglandLost WBO European light-heavyweight title
12Win12–0Liam Conroy8 21 Jun 2019Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern IrelandWon vacant WBO European light-heavyweight title
11Win11–0Abdullah Arabie5, 3:0026 Apr 2019York Hall, London, England
10Win10–0Josip PerkovicPTS829 Mar 2019Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
9Win9–0Rolando Leonel Paredes Ramirez9, 2:085 Oct 2018Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast, Northern IrelandParedes, after having one point deducted in the fourth round, was disqualified for repeated headbutts
8Win8–0Steve Collins Jr.PTS818 Aug 2018Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern IrelandWon vacant BUI Celtic light-heavyweight title
7Win7–0Michal CiachTKO3, 2:4821 Apr 2018SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
6Win6–0Przemyslaw BiniendaPTS618 Nov 2017SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
5Win5–0Attila Tibor NagyTKO1, 1:3016 Sep 2017Devenish Complex, Belfast, Northern Ireland
4Win4–0Istvan Orsos4, 3:0017 Jun 2017Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
3Win3–0Curtis GarganoPTS410 Mar 2017Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2Win2–0Remigijus ZiausysPTS43 Dec 2016Hilton Hotel, Coventry, England
1Win1–0Merdjidin Yuseinov415 Nov 2016Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Exhibition boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
1Draw0–0–1Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson316 January 2021Conrad Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates