THE UNITED STATES FORCES have laid claim to the Wildey Gym.
Four different categories were met with four separate American first-round victories as Team USA finally made their presence felt at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships during the tournament’s second day on Thursday.
What started by means of Marlen Esparza’s routine bout culminated with a not so effortless triumph from Tiffanie Hearn to the continual chants of “USA, USA”.
But while Esparza may be the bastion, Andrecia Wasson and Cashmere Jackson proved the flagships of the American Armada on a day where several fights didn’t go the distance.
Canada’s Kandia Wyatt was probably hoping her 69kg bout with Wasson was one of those, after coming out on the losing end of a 17-3 points decision against the talented US welterweight.
Jackson had no such time to rattle up such a disparity though, forcing the referee to end her 64 kg first-rounder against India’s highly-rated Pratibha Jakhar 42 seconds before the end of the first round.
This coming after Jakhar had to receive a standing eight count, the result of a telling left hook that Jackson used well to counter each advance from the onrushing Indian.
Premature end
It was the first of two successive “B” ring bouts to end prematurely, as the Ukraine’s Svetlana Tertychna sent New Zealand boxer Kelly Woolrich to the canvas just one round into heir light welterweight fight.
Tertychna actually trailed 4-1 on points before getting a standing eight count on the heels of a well-executed combination.
But the resolute Ukraine greeted Woolrich, and the bout’s resumption, with a forceful right hook to send the New Zealander stumbling to the floor immediately after the referee ended the count.
Fellow 64kg title contenders Vera Slugina of Russia and England’s Chantelle Cameron also advanced easily after disposing of Julia Irmen of Germany and Romanian Iulia Navacioiu respectively.
The 51kg category might be new, but the winners were all too familiar. reigning world champions Ren Cancan of China and North Korea’s Kim Hyang Ok moved on to the second round with respective victories over Aya Shinmoto (Japan) and Mandy Bujold (Canada).
Slugina’s compatriot Svetlana Kosova didn’t disappoint either in her 69kg opener, extending the Caribbean’s woes by pounding Trinidad’s Chimere Taylor 13-3 on points.
Just 17 years old, the junior European champ never appeared overwhelmed by the stage, rather unlike her Trini opponent who couldn’t negotiate the southpaw jab that set up the right hook.
Taylor looked more comfortable when she began to lead with her own left jab, but she was never aggressive enough to make up an early 9-2 deficit.
Hard-fought victory
Reigning silver medallist from China Yang Tingting followed suit into the next round with a hard-fought victory over France’s Gihade Lagmiry, but Kiwi Dawn Chalmers upset the form book when she took out reigning EU champion Bianka Nagy of Hungary.
Hungary’s two-time world champion Maria Kovacs opened her medal quest in the 75kg middleweight class with a routine win against Andreia Bandeira of Brazil, before reigning queen Jinzi Li of China did likewise in a bout with Romania’s Paraschiva Fetti.
