By Terence Dooley

Martin J Ward defends his European Super featherweight title against WBA International holder James Tennyson at the O2 Arena on Saturday in a fight that he feels will catapult the winner to bigger things.

Ward has world title aspirations and wants to move on from domestic level after picking up British and Commonwealth belts en route to compiling a 19-0-2 record with 9 KOs—the draws were against Ian Baily and Maxi Hughes in 2014.

However, the 24-year-old knows that he must be wary and on point against Tennyson if he is to continue his rise up the ratings.  “I've gone the traditional route and I'm happy I've done that,” said Ward when speaking to Lee Power of the Barking & Dagenham Post.  

“I'm proud to be European champion and I think it's important to defend titles when you win them, so this is a good start to 2018 for me after a brilliant year last year.  I want to progress onto the world stage now.  I've won everything there is to win and when I beat James, I want to start working towards getting to world level.  I leave the path down to the team, but I believe I am ready now and I will prove that on Saturday.”

The 26-year-old beat Andy Townend to net the vacant British belt (TKO 8 in September 2016) before adding the Commonwealth and EBU titles by beating Anthony Cacace and Juli Giner by decision and sixth-round KO in July and December.  He closed his 2017 ledger with the win over Giner and will hope for more of the same in 2018.

Tennyson, though, will have other ideas as he is on a run of five wins, four by stoppage, since losing to Ryan Walsh for the British featherweight title in April 2016, a TKO reverse.  The 24-year-old Belfast-based boxer will hope to upset Ward’s plans to move on himself so it should be a good, to-and-fro encounter between two contenders on the rise.  Tennyson is 21-2 (17 KOs), his other loss came against journeyman Pavels Senkovs in 2013 and was a bad stoppage defeat that threatened to derail his career.  

Tony Bellew’s rematch with David Haye tops the Eddie Hearn-promoted bill, which will be shown live on Sky Box Office here in the UK, and Ward is joined on the undercard by Jamie Cox, who meets John Ryder in a domestic crossroads non-title match-up.

In other action, Paul Butler fights Emmanuel Rodriguez for the vacant IBF World bantamweight belt and fledging pro Joe Joyce meets heavyweight Commonwealth titlist Lenroy Thomas as he bids to net his first professional title.

Please send news and views to @Terryboxing.