Castlerea’s Lisa O’Rourke has powered through to the quarter-finals of the European Elite Boxing Championships following a commanding victory over Greece’s Vasiliki Stavridou in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Competing in the 80kg division for the first time at a major championship, O’Rourke controlled Saturday evening’s last-16 contest from beginning to end.
The decorated southpaw won all three rounds on every judge’s scorecard and underlined her dominance by forcing Stavridou to take two standing counts during the final round.
Speaking after the contest, O’Rourke expressed her delight at making a successful return to competitive action following more than a year outside the ring.
“It’s been just over a year since I’ve been in the ring and it’s hard work to get back into ring fitness,” she said.
“So, I’m delighted to be here representing Ireland and to get the win under my belt for my first bout. It’s happy days.”
O’Rourke said her injury lay-off had given her a renewed appreciation for the opportunity to compete on the international stage.
“I didn’t really expect to get this competition in this year, so I was really just taking it as a bonus,” she explained.
“I think when you have to go through an injury like that, you really do take these moments – you don’t take them for granted. To get back in the ring with the Irish vest on me, I’m immensely proud.”
O’Rourke, the 2022 world champion and a silver medallist at the 2025 World Boxing Championships, will now face England’s Emily Asquith in Tuesday evening’s quarter-final.
Asquith also brings an impressive pedigree to the contest, having claimed silver in the 80kg division at last year’s World Championships.
Victory for O’Rourke on Tuesday would guarantee the Castlerea boxer a European medal.
