Four Irish boxers will return with medals from the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria this weekend.
Caitlin Fryers, Niamh Fay and Gráinne Walsh each won bronze medals, while Belfast’s Michaela Walsh fell just short in her final, taking home silver.
Walsh lost out to Uzbekistan’s Nigina Uktamova by the slimmest of margins, a 3-2 split decision in the 57kg class.
The 14-time National Elite champion started strongly, picking up the first round on all five scorecards, using lateral movement and straight shots to pick apart her shorter opponent.
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The second round went against the Irish fighter though, as Uktamova closed the distance and landed some combinations on the ropes.
With the bout in the balance on four scorecards, Uktamova managed to win over three of those judges in the final session, winning on a razor-close 3-2 split.
Walsh beat American Olympian Alyssa Mendoza on a 4-1 split decision in her semi-final on Saturday, in a great technical display.
In the same weight class, Ballyboughal BC’s Niamh Fay claimed a bronze medal on Saturday after losing her semi-final contest to the eventual champion Uktamova.
The former European Under-22 champion secured a big win over the current Asian underage champion Khumorabonu Mamajonova in the quarter-finals.
Gráinne Walsh of St Mary’s BC in Tallaght took bronze at 65kg after Laura Yessenkeldi won their semi-final on a 4-1 split decision.
The Tullamore boxer has now won the Strandja bronze as well as the Irish title this year, after a 2025 where she claimed World Championship bronze.
At 51kg, Caitlin Fryers won bronze, having lost out to Feruza Kasakova of Uzbekistan on a 5-0 unanimous decision in the semis.
The Belfast fighter lost out to Daina Moorehouse on a 3-2 split in the national finals in January, but has started 2026 well with a bronze in the first international tournament of the year.
