(MAY 21) COLORADO SPRINGS,
COLO. - The United States squad moved to a perfect 5-0 in
2016 Women's World Championships competition with three
victories on Friday in Astana, Kazakhstan. Reigning Olympic and
World Champion Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) closed the
undefeated day with a last second TKO following first round
victories from featherweight Stalacia Leggett (Quartz Hill,
Calif.) and light welterweight Jajaira Gonzalez (Glendora,
Calif.) in the early session at the Barys Arena.
Shields faced off with Germany's Sarah Scheurich in in the lone
United States bout of the evening session. The number one
middleweight seed put on a show in her opening bout, controlling
the contest from the start. She put an exclamation point on the
bout and the day, stopping Scheurich in the final seconds of the
bout to take a TKO victory in her tournament opener. Shields
will be back in the ring for her second bout of the tournament
on Sunday evening against Uzbekistan's Nafisakhon Askarova.
Competing in a world championship event is nothing new for
Junior and Youth World Champion Gonzalez, but she competed in
her first elite international bout on Friday in a contest with
Azerbaijan's Ayzanat Hajiyeva. It might have been a new age
group but Gonzalez enjoyed the same success she's had in
previous international events. She dominated the first two
rounds before stopping Hajiyeva at the 1:43 mark of the third
round. Gonzalez will return for her second bout of the
tournament on Monday afternoon for a match-up with China's Wenlu
Yang.
Leggett made her world championships debut in the first bout of
the day for her United States team with Taipei's Hsaio-Wen
Huang. The California attorney set a winning tone, taking a
split decision victory over Huang to move on in the tournament.
Leggett will step back in to the ring on Sunday evening in a
showdown with Italy's Alessia Mesiano.
Flyweight Virginia Fuchs (Kemah, Texas) and lightweight Mikaela
Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.) will both compete in their second
bouts of the 2016 World Championships on Saturday at the Barys
Arena. Fuchs will face Azerbaijan's Anna Alimardanova in the
13th bout of the early session at approximately 4:50 p.m. local
time (6:50 a.m. ET). Mayer will box in the first match of the
evening session in a contest with China's Junhua Yin at 7 p.m.
local time (9 a.m. ET).
The competition is being livestreamed on the AIBA website at
www.aiba.org. For all of the tournament brackets, competition
schedule, bout sheets and current results, go to: www.aiba.org/aiba-womens-world-boxing-championships-astana-2016.
Coaches Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Israel Acosta
(Milwaukee, Wis.) and Benny Roman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) are leading
the U.S. team in Kazakhstan.
Over 275 boxers from 70 nations are competing in the ninth
edition of the Women's World Championships. The first-ever
Women's World Boxing Championships took place in Scranton, Pa.,
in 2001 and has grown exponentially since that time. The 2016
event is the second world championships since the Olympic debut
of women's boxing at the 2012 Olympic Games. While only three
women's weight divisions are contested in Olympic competition,
all 10 weight classes are showcased in world championships
action.
U.S. Results
125 lbs/57 kg: Stalacia Leggett, Quartz Hills, Calif./USA dec.
Hsaio-Wen Huang, TPE, 2-1
141 lbs/64 kg: Jajaira Gonzalez, Glendora, Calif./USA won on TKO
over Ayzanat Hajiyeva, AZE, TKO-3 (1:43)
165 lbs/75 kg: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich./USA dec. Sarah
Scheurich, GER, TKO-4
