O’Rourke meets Tokyo Olympics rival in Strandja semi-final

Castlerea boxer Aoife O’Rourke will renew Olympic rivalries with Qian Li of China this afternoon in a middleweight semi-final bout at the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament in Bulgaria.

Li ended O’Rourke’s maiden Olympic appearance in Tokyo back in 2021 when the Chinese boxer won a last 16 fight between the two before going on to win the silver medal.

The double European champion from Tarmon will be hoping to avenge that defeat against 33-year-old Li, who is a former world champion and won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

The 26-year-old Roscommon boxer who is already guaranteed a bronze medal will be fighting for silver and a place in the final. She boxes Li in bout 6 of Ring B’s afternoon session, which begins at 2 p.m. 

It can be viewed live on Bulgarian Boxing Federation's YouTube channel.

Today’s highly anticipated bout in Sofia will be good preparation for O’Rourke, who competes in the Paris Olympics this summer.