Every boxer likes to think they can move mountains in the ring and, on January 16, Steven Ward will have that opportunity when he faces Thor Bjornsson.
ard is hoping that his three-round exhibition bout with ‘The Mountain’ Bjornsson, star of Games of Thrones, will be a platform for him to kick off 2021 with a real bang.
Just what challenge the World’s Strongest Man will bring to the ring remains to be seen, but Ward has already seen his profile shoot through the roof, with his Instagram hits going from 7,000 a day to 60,000, such is the interest in Bjornsson, who has three million followers.
Obviously, Belfast man Ward cannot wait to be back in the ring to push up the cruiserweight ladder but, in the meantime, he will take on Bjornsson in Reykjavik without having to worry about making weight.
Ward said: “When I was asked about the exhibition with Thor, I said, ‘Who?’ I hadn’t a clue who he was and neither had my wife Cathy, and then when I showed her a picture of him she was shocked.
“I think she has me dead and buried – she’ll have the life insurance policy papers out when I’m in with him!
“I just see this as a good opportunity to raise my profile. It’s exciting because it will be the biggest platform that I’ve ever been on. There will literally be millions watching this because of how big a name Thor is due to Game of Thrones. It will be good for my sponsors who have backed me throughout this time to have a global platform.
“It’s hard to know how things will go on the night, but my coach Jamie Moore has told me that if I get knocked out I’m not to come back to the gym.
“Thor is taking it seriously, he has already trimmed down a bit and he has been messaging me asking me about which fighters to watch and how he can learn. He seems like a nice guy, but then I suppose everybody is before they get a punch in the face. I could touch for him and he might come at me with a bear hug.”
Once Ward has dealt with his Mountain challenge he will then eye a significant fight that can see him move forward to a possible shot at the British cruiserweight title.
In recent months, Ward has been working out with former amateur team-mate Tommy McCarthy, who landed the European title last month.
“Working with Tommy has been great. We know our paths may cross in the future but, for now, we are helping each other develop in our own careers with some good spars,” added Ward.
“I take encouragement from the way Tommy came back from a couple of defeats and within a couple of wins he is now knocking on the door of a world title shot.
“My management team MTK got me back in September, which I was grateful for as it’s been hard to get fights due to the pandemic. I’m hoping I can be out in March and have competitive fights that will lead to a title fight before the end of next year.”
