The Padman- revolutionary new sports training product
Classic Irish Fights: John Lowey v Eric Morales
Big Trouble in Little China
Betting on upcoming boxing game
McGuigan:Irish fighters will benefit from Frampton’s BoxNation move
Sky is still the limit for Frampton
Taylor makes fourth World Championship final with ease
BY IABA Press Officer Bernard O’Neill
Katie Taylor is just one win away from securing her fourth AIBA World 60kg title in-a-row.
The Bray BC lightweight recorded a 16-6 semi-final victory over Mavzuna Chorieva of Tajikistan in China this morning (Irish time) to advance to her fourth consecutive AIBA World Women’s Championship final.
Taylor, boxing well within herself and technically superb, established a 5-1 lead by the end of the first frame of today’s four-rounder courtesy of her trademark right jab, left hook combinations, which were delivered with blinding speed.
Taylor built on her lead in rounds one and two and held a seven point advantage going into the fourth, a stanza which saw the Tajik champion, a gold medal winner at the 2010 Asian Championships, take a standing count after she was rocked by another rapid-fire combo from the Irishwoman.
Taylor will now meet Sofya Ochigava in Saturday’s lightweight final at the Olympic Stadium in Qinhuangdao.
The Russian southpaw advanced after chalking up an 18-10 last-four win over England’s Natasha Jonas today.
Saturday’s final will be a repeat of the 2011 European Championships decider in Rotterdam which Taylor won 10-5 to claim her fifth European gold medal on-the-trot.
Speaking after today’s semi-final, Taylor, who qualified for the 2012 Olympics in Qinhuangdao, said that she was thrilled with the victory.
“I’m delighted to be in another final,” said the Irish 2012 Olympian.
“She (Chorieva) was very strong. I kept her off with my jab and picked her off with the left hook all the time.
“My dad and Zuar (Irish coaches Pete Taylor and Zuar Antia) told me to keep my left hand busy. I didn’t need to mix it up with her. I tried to stay long and tried to pick her off as she was coming in. It worked perfectly really.”
Saturday’s finals begin at 7am Irish time. Ten titles will be up for grabs.
Taylor is now guaranteed at least a silver medal in Qinhuangdao.
Today’s win was Ireland’s second over Tajikistan in China as Cavan BC flyweight Ceire Smith stopped Veglina Svetlana in round three in the preliminaries.
The 7th AIBA World Women’s Championships are acting as the first, and only, Olympic qualifier for female boxers for London 2012.
Women’s boxing will make it historic debut at the London Olympics in three weight categories – flyweight, lightweight and middleweight – over 100 years after male boxing debuted at the 1904 Olympic Games in the USA.
7th AIBA World Women’s Championships Qinhuangdao, China
(Afternoon sessions begin at 2pm local time, 7am Irish time)
May 12th
51kg (Last 64) Ceire Smith (Ireland) beat Veglina Svetlana (Tajikistan) RSC3
75kg (Last 64) Sinead Kavanagh (Ireland) lost to Francelis Paez Carmona (Venezuela) 19-23
May 13th
51kg (Last 32) Ceire Smith (Ireland) beat Sarah-Joy Iris Rae (Jamaica) 12-4
May 14th
60Kg (Last 32) Katie Taylor (Ireland) beat Rim Jouini (Tunisia) 19-6
May 15th
51kg (Last 16) Ceire Smith (Ireland) lost to Anna Karolina Michalczuk (Poland) RSC3
60kg (Last 16) Katie Taylor (Ireland) beat Saida Khassenova (Kazakhstan) RSC4
May 16th
60kg (Quarter-finals) Katie Taylor (Ireland) beat Mihaela Lacatus (Romania) W/O
May 18th
Semi-finals
60kg Katie Taylor (Ireland) beat Mavzuna Chorieva (Tajikistan) 16-6
60kg Sofya Ochigava (Russia) beat Natasha Jonas (England) 18-10
May 19th – Afternoon)
Final
60kg Katie Taylor (Ireland) v Soyfa Ochigava (Russia)
Irish squad
51kg (Flyweight) Ceire Smith (Cavan)
60kg (Lightweight) Katie Taylor (Bray)
75kg (Middleweight) Sinead Kavanagh (Drimnagh)
Team manager: Anna Moore
Coaches: Peter Taylor and Zuar Antia
Physio: Mary Louis Ryan
Editor of Irish-Boxing.com.