February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Amateur boxer Ruth O’Sullivan will be gunning for her third New York Daily News Golden Gloves title when she meets Jill Kerry Ward in the 106-pound final at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater next Friday.
The petite Dubliner, a Gloves winner in 2005 and 2006, is looking forward to the mixing it up with Ward, but is none too pleased that she reached the final without throwing a punch.
Because they were the only two entrants in the 106-pound women’s division, O’Sullivan and Ward both advanced to the final without a fight.
“I’m bummed that I didn’t get more fights,” O’Sullivan said last Saturday. “If I had known there would be so few girls I’d have entered the 112-pound division to get more matches. I’d feel more accomplished and deserving if I had more matches.”
She also expressed disappointment at not being able to meet Laura Ramirez in a rematch of their 2008 final that the Bronx teenager won on a close decision. That was O’Sullivan’s first and only defeat in four years.
“I wanted to fight Laura but she moved down [in weight],” O’Sullivan rued.
“It is what it is. At least I have a match,” she shrugged, acknowledging that she could only deal with the challenge in front of her.
In this case it’s Kerry Ward, a veteran of sorts in women’s amateur boxing.
Asked what she knew about her next foe, the 32-year-old O’Sullivan replied: “I know she was in the final two years ago and I know that she’s been around.
Kerry Ward was the losing finalist in 2007, the year O’Sullivan missed the Gloves after giving birth to her son Liam.
At any rate, O’Sullivan is confident that Kerry Ward won’t stand between her and a coveted third Gloves pendant.
“I feel much better now than I did last year,” said “Ruthless” Ruth.
In her only competitive bout since last year’s Golden Gloves, O’Sullivan defeated Natalie Gonzalez via disqualification in Harlem last November to win her fourth Metropolitan Boxing Championship title.