Boxing: The three Irish boxers bidding for places in the finals of the European Championships lost out this evening and will have to settle for bronze medals. Ross Hickey, John Joe Joyce and Eamon O'Kane all bowed out at the semi-final stage in Liverpool.
Co Wicklow lightweight Ross Hickey was first in action at the Greenbank Academy but was beaten 9-3 by tough Belarusian Vazgen Safaryants.
Irish Olympian John Joe Joyce was next into the ring where he would face a familiar foe in Hungary's Gyula Kate. Joyce had beaten Kate in Beijing but found himself on the wrong end of an 8-2 scoreline on this occasion.
That left Belfast's Eamon O'Kane in the middleweight division. Up against the big-hitting Russian Maxim Koptyakou, O'Kane fared no better than his teammates and ended up losing 10-2.