It's bronze for Offaly's Gráinne Walsh after defeat in world semi-final

Tullamore's Gráinne Walsh will be coming home from the world boxing championships with a bronze medal, after a valiant performance ended in defeat against Kazakhstan's Aida Abikeyeva in Liverpool this evening.

Cheered on by a vocal support from the Faithful County, Walsh came into this fight knowing that her first-ever world championship medal was already assured.

It was clear that she was determined to upgrade her guaranteed bronze to silver or gold, as she started this contest excellently, driving Abikeyeva to the ropes and getting through with some meaty combinations.

She was up against an outstanding opponent, however, and Abikeyeva, boxing smartly on the back foot, began to enjoy more success as the first round went on.

Nevertheless, the judges were almost evenly split after the opening round, with two scoring it for Walsh and three favouring Abikeyeva.

The second round was won more decisively by the 27-year-old from Kazakhstan, who withstood some strong attacks from Walsh and counter-punched effectively.

In the final round, Abikeyeva sought to protect her lead, staying on the move and avoiding close-range exchanges as much as possible.

Walsh continued to press, however, and landed some of her best punches of the fight in the closing seconds.

In the end there was just one round separating the pair on four of the five judges' scorecards, with Abikeyeva getting the nod by scores of 28-29, 28-29, 28-29, 28-29 and 27-30.

As the decision was being announced, the Offaly woman sportingly applauded her opponent.

This was a tournament in which Walsh performed superbly and - as the only European to reach the final four at 65kg - she has proven that she truly is one of the very best in the world.