Olympics boxing: Kellie Harrington defeats Beatriz Ferreira to reach final

Ireland’s Kellie Harrington says she knew she was “up against it” after she moved one step closer to retaining her Olympic title by defeating Beatriz Ferreira in a thrilling semi-final in Paris.

Harrington beat the Brazilian in the final in Tokyo three years ago, and the semi-final was billed as a grudge match as Ferreira looked to get revenge.

It is set to be the final Olympics for the 34-year-old, who also has a world championship to her name.

“She’s a really tough opponent,” Harrington said. “I knew I was the underdog going into it, but I really enjoyed it.

“I think I’m happy because I’m coming to the end of my career and it’s allowing me to be a little more free.

“I just can’t believe it, it’s mad.”

It was a fast and frantic start at the North Paris Arena as both fighters, living up to the pre-bout atmosphere, looked to land some early blows, but Harrington was awarded the round 4-1 by the judges.

Ferreira was the aggressor in the second round, but every time she opened up Harrington was on hand to land a counter offensive.

Both fighters put their arms in the air as they returned to their corners after the second round, and the judges could hardly split them with 3-2 in favour of Ferreira.

That left Harrington 2-1 up heading into the decider, with two judges scoring the fight level.