Kellie Harrington is delighted to be back in the ring after making the final of the Strandja multi-nations tournament in Sofia.
The Dubliner defeated home favourite Denicia Eliseeva today to set up a showdown with old rival Mira Potkonen on Saturday.
And her three wins on the spin to make the lightweight decider are all the more impressive as Harrington is returning from seven months on the sidelines with a thumb injury.
"I'm feeling good," said the 30-year-old. "I was a little bit anxious coming out here but my preparation was fantastic.
"It was just good getting back in there in the ring, so looking forward to tomorrow and putting in a big performance."
Harrington's opponent is a familiar name to Irish fight fans as it was Potkonen who ended Katie Taylor's Olympic dreams in Rio.
The Finn also beat Harrington on her way to gold in the last four of the 2018 European Elites.
And the pair were due to meet in the European Games final last June before Harrington pulled out with the thumb problem.
The Sofia competition is a warm-up event for the Olympic qualifier taking place in London in March where the top six fighters in her division will book their ticket to Tokyo.
Harrington added: "I will coming anyway with four fights and it's all preparation for the next tournament wherever that may be.
"The big picture here is the team - we have all bonded really well together and everybody has put in fantastic performances."
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