Taylor advances to semi finals- Walsh and Lambe bow out

Katie Taylor joined Clare Grace in the semi-finals of the 9th European Women’s Championships after recording an emphatic inside the distance victory in Romania today.

But Michaela Walsh and Joanna Lambe bowed out of the tournament at the last-eight stage in Bucharest this afternoon.

Taylor silenced the home crowd with a 4th round TKO of Lavina Ioana-Mera.

The Romanian, who claimed Munster and Cork titles boxing out of the Mitchelstown BC on Leeside when she lived in Ireland, took a standing count off a flashing left near the end of the third.

She took another count off another left at the start of the fourth and after she took a third count mid way through the frame the ref called a halt.

Taylor, who gave an exhibition of boxing this afternoon, will meet Bulgaria’s Denitsa Eliseeva in the last–four on Friday.

The Bray woman, who is targeting her sixth successive European title in Romania is now guaranteed at least bronze, as is Grace.

Walsh lost out on a majority – one of the judges called it all square –  decision to Russian bantamweight Svetlana Staneva, the current European bantamweight champion and a bronze medallist at flyweight the 2012 AIBA Elite Women’s Championships in China.

But it was a brave and battling performance from the Holy Family GG Belfast ace  against the Russian, who is ranked No. 5 in the world at flyweight.

Lambe can be proud of her display against the experienced Svetlana Staneva. The Carricmacross BC feather left everything in the ring, but it was the Bulgarian, who is ranked No.4 in the world by AIBA, who had her hand raised in victory.

Walsh and Lambe will now pick up at least 150 AIBA Elite rankings points each by virtue of reaching the last-eight.

Thursday is a rest day at the European Championships. The semi-finals and finals will be decided on Friday and Saturday.