(SEPT 16)  (COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – The women of Team USA continued their success with three victories on Wednesday at the 2010 Women’s World Championships in Bridgetown, Barbados. Lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.), light welterweight Cashmere Jackson (Cleveland, Ohio), and welterweight Andrecia Wasson (Center Line, Mich.) all recorded quarterfinal wins at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex to move on in the tournament. Heavyweight Denise Rico (Los Angeles, Calif.) dropped her tournament opener in the final U.S. bout of the day.

The quarterfinal wins earn all of the U.S. victors a berth in the semifinal round, and guarantees the three boxers at least a bronze medal. It is the first appearance on a World Championships medal stand for all of the U.S. semifinalists.

Once again, Underwood kicked off the U.S. action in Barbados. She continued her impressive run through the 2010 Women’s World Championships with her fourth tournament victory. The win sets up a highly-anticipated match-up between Underwood and two-time World Champion Katie Taylor of Ireland.

Underwood advanced in the tournament with a 6-3 win over European Championships silver medalist Denitsa Eliseeva of Bulgaria in their quarterfinal match-up. As had been the case in her earlier bouts, Underwood kept the score total low, taking a slim 2-1 advantage after the first round. She pushed her lead to three in the second round, enjoying a 4-1 edge at the midway point. Eliseeva made a small dent in Underwood’s lead in the third round and Team USA went into the final round holding a 5-3 advantage. Underwood maintained her lead in the final two minutes, adding one point to her total to win a 6-3 final decision and move on to the semifinal round.

Underwood has garnered a great deal of attention for her performance in Barbados, giving up only 10 total points in her four bouts. She will face a very difficult task in her bout with Taylor, who is widely known as the best female amateur boxer in the world. The two boxers have faced each other one time with Underwood dropping a dual match to Taylor in Ireland. Friday’s bout will be the first bout between the two boxers since Underwood made the decision to move down to the lightweight division.

Jackson opened the evening action for the United States with a 11-10 win over North Korea’s Yong Ri Suk. Her win over Suk was her closest of the tournament, but she pulled through when it counted. Jackson grabbed a slim early lead, taking a 3-2 advantage after the opening two minutes of action. Suk came back strong in the second, winning the round by a 4-1 margin, and Jackson trailed 6-4 at the midway point in the bout. Yet, Jackson reclaimed the momentum in a critical third round, and she enjoyed a small 9-7 advantage at the end of three. She held on to her tenuous lead over the final two minutes to win the 11-10 final decision and advance on to the semifinal round where she will face Russia’s Slugina Vera. Despite being one of the least experienced boxers in the event, Jackson has clinched her first major international medal.

Wasson extended her winning streak to three on Wednesday as well, stopping Australia’s Naomi Lee Fischer-Rasmussen in quarterfinal action. She controlled the bout from the opening bell, befuddling Fischer-Rasmussen en route to an 8-0 lead at the halfway mark of the contest. The Australian boxer scored her lone point of the bout in the third round, but Wasson enjoyed a commanding 15-1 edge with one round remaining. The bout was stopped at the :12 mark of the fourth round with Wasson holding a 16-1 advantage over Fischer-Rasmussen.

The win advances Wasson on to the semifinal round where she will face 2008 Women’s World Championships silver medalist Ting Ting Yang of China. A two-time USA Boxing National Champion and 2009 National Golden Gloves champion, Wasson earned her first international hardware with a silver medal at the 2009 Women’s Continental Championships

Rico made her long-awaited World Championships debut in the final U.S. bout on Wednesday evening, facing off with China’s Yunfei Li in the tournament opener for both boxers. Rico hoped to join her teammates in the semifinal round, but fell short in her bout with Li. She fell behind by a 3-1 margin after the opening round and Li duplicated her efforts in the second, causing Rico to trail by a 6-2 score at the midway point of the bout. Li extended her lead over the final two rounds to take a 10-2 decision over Rico.

All the tournament competitors will enjoy a rest day on Thursday before semifinal action is contested on Friday. For additional information on the event including live results and bracket sheets for all 10 weight divisions, go to http://aiba.org/en-US/womens/Womens2010.aspx.

U.S. Results

132 lbs: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash./USA dec.Denitsa Eliseeva, BUL, 6-3

141 lbs: Cashmere Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio/USA dec. Yong Ri Suk, PRK, 11-10

152 lbs: Andrecia Wasson, Center Line, Mich./USA stopped Naomi Lee Fischer-Rasmussen, AUS, RSCI-4

178+ lbs: Yunfei Li, CHN, dec. Denise Rico, Los Angeles, Calif./USA, 10-2


USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

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Julie Goldsticker
President, Goldsticker Public Relations

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