Ireland will have a whopping seven boxers fighting for a place in the Paris Olympics tomorrow among nine in the ring at the European Games in Poland.
After the heroics at the Nowy Targ Arena yesterday, three more hopefuls entered the ring this evening and Daina Moorehouse, Michaela Walsh and Aoife O'Rourke were all victorious.
Moorehouse and Walsh will join Kellie Harrington, Amy Broadhurst, Dean Clancy, Jennifer Lehane and Kelyn Cassidy in trying to win the quarter-final that will secure their ticket to the Games.
Wicklow/Enniskerry BC's Moorehouse, 21, was first into the fray and she set the standard by turning the tide on her Ukrainian opponent Tetiana Kob, who is the reigning European champion winning 4-1 in their 50kg bout.
"I feel amazing," the flyweight said. "It was great, I knew coming up against Tatiana a few weeks ago, she beat me 3-2 split then, that I'd have to dig deep.
"She's one of the toughest in this competition and having her in the first fight, the first two rounds I had to dig deep and then in the last round I had to give my all.
"It was a split decision but I'm absolutely over the moon.
"It's my first time being to the elite Europeans and I proved that I can compete at this level, so it's great, I'm really delighted."
Her family were among the loud Irish contingent in the crowd.
"You could definitely hear everyone screaming, so even though I was dead it kind of helps you push on. You have to give them a bit of a show," said Moorehouse.
"It was great hearing that in there."
Michaela Walsh has her sights set on becoming a double Olympian after an emphatic 5-0 triumph in her 57kg clash with Turkey's Aysen Taskin.
"It feels fantastic, the coaches got the tactics spot on," said the Belfast/Monkstown ABC featherweight, a silver medallist at the last European Games that Ireland competed in.
"I just tried to stick to boxing to the best of my ability and even though I was up going into the last round, Zaur still wanted a bit more so I think I went out and showed that.
"I stepped it up a gear just to see what I can do but I feel fantastic and it's just amazing to be part of such a great team, everyone is bouncing off each other.
"Just hearing Daina win before I got in gave me a little push. I feel brilliant.
"As the tournament goes on the performances are getting better and better, but we have the best coaches in the world here so they're going to guide me and give me the tactics, all I can do is try to implement them."
Having watched her brother Aidan take bronze in Tokyo, Walsh is inspired to get to Paris.
"It's something I've been dreaming of, even being away at the last Olympics shows it can be done," said the 30-year-old.
"For now I'm just enjoying the moment and I'll be worrying about that tomorrow night when I'm in the ring, but I'm just so grateful to get the win, she was a very tough opponent for me.
"It was my day, fortunately."
Last but not least, O'Rourke prevailed in a tight and tense clash with Cindy Ngambu, the Roscommon woman prevailing 3-2 on the judges cards.
The 25-year-old, who also fought in Tokyo, lost the first round 4-1 and just edged the second round with two judges, with three calling it even in the middleweight contest.
But O'Rourke showed her class in the third and final round, taking it on three of the scorecards to ultimately book her place in the quarter-finals.
"She was a very, very tough opponent, the fight was as close as you can get so credit to her," said the Olympic BC fighter.
"She didn't take her foot off the gas and it made me want to come out even stronger in each round. The fight was as intense as it could be so thankfully I got the result I was looking for.
"I really had to dig deep, I was down in the first half of the first round and it was a matter of who wanted it more.
"Every boxer here wants to win, there's no easy fight and it's just who can go that extra bit to push forward and get the hand raised.
"I'm absolutely delighted, I don't know who I'm up against but I'll go now and reset and recover and take things as they go tomorrow."
