(NOV 24)  The 8th edition of the AIBA Women’s World Championships which concluded in Jeju Monday was a very successful one as far as the Asian contingent was concerned, more so remembering the absence through injury or suspension of such as India’s Mary Kom, Pooja Rani and Sarita Devi.

Photo:  Nesthy Petecio

Kazakhstan’s Nazym and China’s Yang Xiaoli were in superb form, taking Gold medals on finals day but let us not forget the part played by others like Shamjetsabam Sarjubala Devi, who had the task of replacing Mary Kom in the Indian team and also Nesthy Petecio from the Philippines and Japan’s Madoka Wada.

Photo:  Junhua Yin (red)

Indeed Asia has discovered several new stars, some from ‘emerging’ boxing nations yet China as before proved to be a powerhouse of the women’s sport though no Cancan Ren or Cheng Dong this time round. Junhua Yin took bronze after an unfortunate injury forced her to withdraw at end of round three of her fight with eventual Gold medallist Katie Taylor. Her day will surely come soon.

So for our final report on the Asian athletes here is the day’s report courtesy of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) to whom, as always, grateful thanks:

“Jeju 24 November 2014:

The AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships has finished in the island of Jeju in Korea where two of our athletes won the gold medal of the event. Kazakhstan’s Nazym Kyzaybay and China’s Yang Xiaoli became Asia’s two winners in the eighth edition of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.

Women's Light Flyweight class (48 kg):

India's AIBA Women's Youth World Champion Shamjetsabam Sarjubala Devi had the chance to reach the top of the podium among the elite athletes as well. Her last opponent was Kazakhstan's AIBA Women's World Championships bronze medallist Nazym Kyzaybay also arrived to Jeju as a gold medal contender. The Indian ringside found the best tactic in the opening round which surprised Kyzaybay but Kazakhstan’s favourite was able to adopt the rhythm very quickly. The Central Asian boxer had excellent footwork and her quick jabs prevented the attack of the Indian competitor which resulted in the first ever gold medal for Kazakhstan in the history of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. Both athletes were born in 1993 which means their expectations are great in the future as well. The bronze medals were achieved also by Asian athletes, Thailand's Chuthamat Raksat and Japan's 19-year-old Madoka Wada who became the youngest medallist in the entire 8th edition of the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships.

Women’s Featherweight class (57 kg):

Philippines' Nesthy Petecio reached the quarter-finals at the 2010 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships while she was able to reach the finals this time. The 22-year-old Filipino boxer defeated five tough athletes including the defending AIBA Women's World Champion Tiara Brown of the United States of America in the semi-final. Petecio had to meet with Russia's EUBC European Women's Continental Champion Zinaida Dobrynina but she was not able to repeat the same heights that she did in the semi-final as she was too tired in her sixth match in Jeju. The Filipino boxer was able to do great combinations in the third and the final frames but her efforts were not enough to turn back the bout.

Women’s Middleweight class (75 kg):

Photo:  Li Qian

China's Li Qian was silver medallist at the 2013 Sportaccord World Combat Games and at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games as well and she advanced to another final in Jeju following her excellent performance in the semi-final against Netherlands' EUBC European Women's Continental Championships silver medallist Nouchka Fontijn. The 24-year-old Chinese boxer had to fight for the gold with U.S star London 2012 Olympics gold medallist Claressa Shields who was unbeaten since May 2012. The U.S teenager dominated the first round of their battle which determined the whole contest in spite of the attacks of the Chinese boxer which were stopped by Shields. Li Qian secured her third silver medal from major tournaments this year.

Women’s Light Heavyweight class (81 kg):

Photo:  Saweety Boora (red)

India's new team member Saweety Boora exceeded all of the previous expectations in the event which was her first ever international tournament. The Haryana-based boxer had to meet with another Asian athlete for the gold, China's two-time National Champion 24-year-old Yang Xiaoli who replaced the defending AIBA Women's World Champion Yuan Meiqing in the team. The Indian boxer tried to reduce the fighting distance and moved quicker than her taller rival but Yang Xiaoli’s jabs stopped her attacks several times. The Chinese boxer’s punches were successful from the second round therefore she was able to win the weight class in the championships.

Women’s Heavyweight class (+81 kg):

Kazakhstan's second finalist was ASBC Asian Continental Championships bronze medallist 27-year-old Lazzat Kungeybayeva proved top quality of boxing in the whole event in Jeju and she needed to do only one further successful step. Her final opponent was Russia's new team member Zenfira Magomedaliyeva and the Central Asian boxer could control the opening round of the gold medal bout. Kungeybayeva did not share her energies well enough therefore she was too tired in the second part of the bout and secured a silver medal in the championships which was her career highlight in spite of her loss. China's 20-year-old great prospect Wang Shijin secured a valuable bronze medal in Jeju during her first international competition.

The Final: Results: Link
Medallist’s by Weight category: Link
Top 8: Link
Every Bout Every Day:  Link