THE cream is beginning to rise to the top at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships with most of the favourites punching their way through to today’s quarter-finals.
China’s Cancan Ren and England’s Nicola Adams continued on a collision course to meet in the final of the flyweight division with comfortable victories over tricky opponents yesterday at the Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.
The 22-year-old Ren took out Turkey’s Sumeyra Yazici 9-4 while Adams prevailed over Virginie Nave of France 8-2.
Ren had a subdued start to her contest but came to life in the third round, throwing some solid rights and combinations to take the initiative.
Adams, from Leeds, is an orthodox boxer but equally at home as a southpaw and she used some powerful left hooks to inspire her cruise to victory.
Both fighters are coming down in weight since the 2008 championships in China where Ren won the gold at 52 kg and Adams an historic silver for England at 54 kg.
The 27-year-old Adams, who has a strong Caribbean connection with a Jamaican dad and a mum from St Maarten, is fighting her way back after a career-threatening back injury.
She only began training again earlier this year but is confident she can use the Barbados championships as a springboard to a medal at the London 2012 Olympics where women’s boxing (in three weight divisions) will make its debut.
Adams faces South Korea’s Euna Jang in today’s last eight. Jang was a 7-5 winner over Hungary’s Vivien Mizsei yesterday.
Ren’s quarter-final opponent is Thailand’s Peamwla Laopeam, who dulled the American juggernaut with a 5-3 defeat of Marlen Esparza of Houston, Texas.
The biggest win of the day went to Pan American silver medallist Yanina Benavidez of Argentina, who pummelled Olga Hadji of Moldova and was leading 33-2 in the final round when the referee stopped the contest.
In featherweight action, another Chinese, Yanzi Yang, surged into the quarter-finals with a 12-1 demolition of Mexico’s Reyna Cotija.
China, who sent a full ten-member team, have seven of their boxers through to the last eight with Li Jinzi (middleweight) and Yang Tingting (welterweight) also progressing on Monday night.
Monday night also saw the advance of Canadian Mary Spencer, who was a convincing 9-2 middleweight winner over 2008 silver medallist Anna Laurell of Sweden.
Spencer, who won the 2008 gold at 66 kg, has bulked up to try to qualify for the 2012 Olympics and cut an impressive figure.
In the light welterweight, there seems little can stop the awesome Gulsum Tatar of Turkey, who comfortably saw off Ireland’s Allana Murphy 21-4.
Today sees all 40 quarter-final bouts with the first session at 4 p.m. and the second session beginning at 7:30 p.m.