Medal joy for three boxers from local counties

Boxers from three counties in the region will have an opportunity to upgrade the colour of their bronze medals when they step back into the ring at the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool this weekend.

Mullingar's Patsy Joyce is assured of a bronze medal in his inaugural World Boxing Championships, but he now has the chance to improve on this achievement when he contests a semi-final bout against Spain's Rafael Serrano Lozano on Saturday afternoon.

The 19 year old, who is a member of the Olympic Boxing Club in Mullingar, had a narrow 3-2 quarter-final win over his Uzbekistan opponent Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov on Wednesday and contesting the 55kg category will be hoping that his gold medal aspirations continue on Saturday.

Double Olympian and Castlerea boxer Aoife O'Rourke will also hope to maintain her World Boxing Championship momentum when she returns to the ring on Saturday.

Boxing in the women's 75kg category, O'Rourke defeated Norwegian Sunniva Holstead in her quarter-final bout on a 4-1 result, her focus now turning towards a semi-final contest against China's Chengyu Yang on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Tullamore's Gráinne Walsh will also feature on the medal podium at the World Boxing Championships.

The Paris 2024 Olympian endured a closely fought quarter-final contest with China's Yang Liu in Wednesday's evening session, but gained the judges' verdict in her 65kg bout.

Walsh returns to the ring tomorrow (Friday) for a semi-final contest against Kazakhstan's Aida Abikeyeva.