Ireland's Katie Taylor advanced to the women's Boxing lightweight (57-60kg) final after overcoming Azerbaijan's Yana Alekseevna in a fiercely contested fight on Friday.
All three judges scored it 38-38 and were then asked to nominate their 'preferred winner' – based on who they believed showed more aggression and intent to win.
Two of them selected Taylor as the 'better fighter' and one opted for Alekseevna.
"It was a close fight," said Taylor. "It was always going to be. She's a top boxer. It was close, but I don't care, I'm through to the finals. I know I was down after three rounds so I had to go out and put the pressure on and try to win the round clearly."
Alekseevna said: "It was a strong competition and just a tiny step prevented me from winning. She (Taylor) is a worthy opponent. I don't feel pity to be defeated by her. She is my idol after my father. I am a fan of Katie."
Taylor, the most decorated athlete in women's Boxing, will face Estelle Mossely in Saturday's final, after the Frenchwoman beat Germany's Tasheena Bugar in a unanimous decision in the other semi-final.
"I've boxed her (Mossely) a few times," said Taylor. "I'll have a word with my dad (her coach, Peter Taylor) about the fight. It's going to be a tough fight."
Mossely predicted a close contest in the final. "I have boxed with Katie two times and each time I lost, the second time close," she said. "I hope tomorrow I'm going to win. I think this one will be the closest of all our meetings."
The 28-year-old Taylor's medal haul at major competitions stands at 17 golds, including her Olympic title, five consecutive world championships, six consecutive European championships and five European Union championships.
