Grainne Walsh

Tullamore boxer Gráinne Walsh fighting for national title this weekend

Tullamore's Gráinne Walsh will be in action this Saturday night as she bids to retain her National Elite boxing title in the 69kg (welterweight) division. 

The Liffey Crane National Elite Championships are taking place in Dublin's National Stadium.

All of the bouts will be screened live on YouTube and Gráinne's contest is also expected to be shown live on TG4, which is broadcasting the finals from 8.45pm until 11pm. 

Representing the Spartacus club, Gráinne will be facing a tough opponent, the former European Elite bronze medalist Christina Desmond from Cork club Fr Horgans. 

Injury ruled Desmond out of last year's national championships, where Gráinne defeated Ciara Ginty in the welterweight final. She she also picked up the 'Jimmy Magee Best Female Boxer' award for her performance on the night. 

Saturday's men's and women's finals get underway at 5.45pm on Saturday and the full line-up is as follows: 

Finals (5.45pm)

48kg – Light flyweight – Chloe Fleck (Canal) V Donna Barr (Iliies Golden Gloves)

49kg – Light flyweight Regan Buckley (St Teresas) V Sean Mari (Monkstown Dublin)

75kg – Middleweight – Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea) V Cheyanne O’Neill (Athlone)

57kg – Featherweight – Michaela Walsh (Monkstown Antrim) V Dearbhla Duffy (Crumlin)

57kg – Featherweight – Christian Cekiso (Portlaoise) V Patryk Adamus (Drimnagh)

60kg – Lightweight – Dominic Bradley (Errigal) V David Oliver Joyce (Ballymun)

64kg – Light welterweight – Moira McElligot (St Michaels Athy) V Amy Broadhurst (Dealgan)

52kg – Flyweight – Evan Metcalf (Hyland BA) V Adam Hession (Monivea)

75kg – Middleweight Gabriel Dossen (Olympic Galway) V Emmett Brennan (Glasnevin)

80kg – Light heavyweight – Leona Houlihan (Crumlin) V Lisa Browne (Aglish)

91kg – Heavyweight – Anthony Browne (St Michaels Dublin) V Kenneth Okungbowa Athlone)

51kg – Flyweight – Carly McNaul (Holy Family Golden Gloves) V Niamh Early (Ryston)

63kg – Light welterweight – James McGivern (St Georges) V George Bates (St Marys Dublin)

69kg – Welterweight – Christina Desmond (Fr Horgans) V Grainne Walsh (Spartacus)

81kg – Light heavyweight – Thomas O’Toole (Celtic Eagles) V Tommy Hyde (Mayfield)

69kg – Welterweight – Kieran Molloy (Ougterard) V Patrick Donovan (Our Lady of Lourdes)

60kg – Lightweight – Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s) V Jelena Jelic (Serbia) (International bout)

91+kg – Super heavyweight – Dean Gardiner (Clonmel) V Martin Keenan (Rathkeale)

54kg – Bantamweight – Emma Flannery (Baldoyle) W/O

60kg – Lightweight – Kellie Harrington (St Mary’s) W/O

80+kg – Light heavyweight + – Nell Fox (Rathkeale) W/O