The ten gold medal bouts of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Jeju were held in the front of the local boxing fans, as Ireland’s legendary Katie Taylor secured her fifth title in a row, US London 2012 Olympic Champion Claressa Shields won her first AIBA Women’s Championships gold, while Atheyna Bylon of Panama became one of the greatest sportswomen in the history of her country.

Five golds for Taylor
Katie Taylor began her boxing career with her coach and father Peter Taylor in the city of Bray back in 1998 at the age of 12, and the Irish boxer joined the national squad in 2004, winning her first AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, India in 2006.

She has subsequently successfully defended her throne in Ningbo City in 2008, in Bridgetown in 2010 and in Qinhuangdao in 2012.

Besides those gold medals, Taylor also won the London 2012 Olympic Games, and all continental Championships since 2005.

Her most difficult fight should have been held in the quarter-finals against Russia’s two-time AIBA Women’s World Champion Sofya Ochigava, but the Russian was forced to pull out before the bout due to injury.

Taylor had a tough contest in the semi-finals against China’s Asian Games winner Yin Junhua before her Asian opponent also became injured during the third round of their fight.

The Irish icon then had to meet for the gold medal with 27-year-old Yana Alekseevna to secure her fifth title.

Azerbaijan’s lone finalist tried to get close in the opening round of the Lightweight class (60 kg) final, but Taylor picked up the pace in the second round, and though it wasn’t her best win in the competition, she ultimately won a well deserved fifth gold medal.

Team of the day
London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Marlen Esparza also claimed a bronze medal in her first AIBA Women’s World Championships in New Delhi, and the 25-year-old’s Flyweight class (51 kg) final was against England’s Lisa Whiteside who replaced London 2012 Olympic Champion Nicola Adams in their squad.

Her English rival claimed a bronze medal at the last edition of the AIBA Women’s World Championships in Qinhuangdao at the Featherweight class (57 kg), and Whiteside was able to control the opening portion of the fight, before Esparza improved her tactics as the fight progressed.

The US boxer displayed wonderful footwork in the middle part of the bout, and her efforts were enough to win by a narrow split decision.

Claressa Shields is only 19, but she had won all of the major events during her career excluding the AIBA Women’s World Championships.

America’s teenage sensation defeated China’s Incheon 2014 Asian Games winner Li Qian in the final to complete the golden set.

The defence of Shields was excellent, and her energy unparalleled as she won the bout by unanimous decision and achieved her first World Championships title.

Shields is one of the most exciting stars in the world of boxing, and her performances in Jeju displayed her undoubted potential, and her already glowing world class skills.

Surprises of the day
Bulgaria’s Stanimira Petrova defeated four tough rivals on the road to the finals which was surprising enough as she was relatively unknown coming into the Championships, but her final opponent was the main favourite of the Bantamweight class (54 kg), Italy’s defending EUBC European Women’s Continental Champion Marzia Davide.

The Italian claimed her first medal, a silver at the 2nd edition of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Antalya twelve years ago, and was looking for gold over a decade later.

This was a rematch of a bout they had at the Mohamed VI Trophy in Marrakech last month, which was won closely by Davide.

In the return match, Petrova’s tactics were much better against the Italian veteran, and her youth and sheer effort delivered an unexpected gold medal in Jeju.

Panama’s Atheyna Bylon claimed a silver medal in the South American Games in Santiago de Chile on March which was her career highlight before these Championships, and the ‘AIBA Road to Jeju Program’ member used all her recent experience to remarkable effect in Korea.

After becoming the first women’s boxer from Panama to win just one bout in a AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, she then went all the way and claimed the Welterweight class (69 kg) gold medal against Russia’s Saadat Abdullaeva.

Ones to watch
Philippines’ China Open Tournament winner Nesthy Petecio joined their national squad in 2009 at the age of 17, and following five years of experience at international level she was able to reach the finals in an AIBA event.

The 22-year-old Featherweight class (57 kg) boxer eliminated the defending champion, Tiara Brown of the United States in the semi-finals, and her gold medal opponent was also a star rival, Russia’s EUBC European Women’s Continental Champion Zinaida Dobrynina.

Russia’s Dobrynina tried to prevent the attacks of the quick Filipino boxer in the opening round, which meant that Petecio’s attacks were stifled in the early part of the fight.

Despite some clever adjustments from the Asian athlete, the Russian boxer kept the control, which was enough to get the gold medal.

Both athletes look set to be gold medal contenders for years to come.

Stat/Fact of the day
Katie Taylor secured her fifth title in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, and joins India’s Mary Kom who also won the same number of golds in the event between 2002 and 2010.

Bulgaria and Kazakhstan achieved their first ever gold medals in the history of the Championships, while unexpectedly Panama also did the same following Atheyna Bylon’s incredible performance in Korea.

Netherlands claimed a medal in the last edition of the Championships in Qinhuangdao, and Nouchka Fontijn was able to continue that run in Jeju.

Japan’s 19-year-old Madoka Wada became the youngest medallist of the 8th edition of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Korea, and the host of the Championships also bagged its first ever medal.

Quote of the day
“It is an absolute privilege to equal that record of five World Championships titles, and I thank God for another great victory. I am absolutely delighted. It was such a tight contest, every round was very close and tricky. The tactics from my dad and Zuar Antia were spot on again. Every Championships is so hard to win and so hard to defend,” said Ireland’s Katie Taylor following her victory.

Results of the finals
48 kg: Nazym Kyzaybay KAZ – Shamjetsabam Sarjubala Devi  IND 3:0
51 kg:  Marlen Esparza USA – Lisa Whiteside  ENG 2:1
54 kg: Stanimira Petrova BUL – Marzia Davide ITA 2:0
57 kg: Zinaida Dobrynina RUS – Nesthy Petecio PHI  2:0
60 kg: Katie Taylor IRL – Yana Alekseevna AZE 3:0
64 kg: Anastasia Beliakova, RUS – Sandy Ryan  ENG 3:0
69 kg: Atheyna Bylon PAN – Saadat Abdullaeva RUS  2:1
75 kg: Claressa Shields USA – Li Qian CHN  3:0
81 kg: Yang Xiaoli CHN – Saweety Boora IND  3:0
+81 kg: Zenfira Magomedaliyeva RUS – Lazzat Kungeybayeva  KAZ 3:0

Upcoming AIBA Women’s World Championships in 2016
The next ninth edition of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships will be the qualifying competition for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and is scheduled  to take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

List of the medallists in Jeju

48 kg
GOLD
Nazym Kyzaybay
KAZAKHSTAN
48 kg
SILVER
Shamjetsabam Sarjubala Devi
INDIA
48 kg
BRONZE
Chuthamat Raksat
THAILAND
48 kg
BRONZE
Madoka Wada
JAPAN
51 kg
GOLD
Marlen Esparza
UNITED STATES
51 kg
SILVER
Lisa Whiteside
ENGLAND
51 kg
BRONZE
Terry Gordini
ITALY
51 kg
BRONZE
Clelia Marques Costa
BRAZIL
54 kg
GOLD
Stanimira Petrova
BULGARIA
54 kg
SILVER
Marzia Davide
ITALY
54 kg
BRONZE
Ayse Tas
TURKEY
54 kg
BRONZE
Elena Savelyeva
RUSSIA
57 kg
GOLD
Zinaida Dobrynina
RUSSIA
57 kg
SILVER
Nesthy Petecio
PHILIPPINES
57 kg
BRONZE
Tiara Brown
UNITED STATES
57 kg
BRONZE
Alessia Mesiano
ITALY
60 kg
GOLD
Katie Taylor
IRELAND
60 kg
SILVER
Yana Alekseevna
AZERBAIJAN
60 kg
BRONZE
Yin Junhua
CHINA
60 kg
BRONZE
Estelle Mossely
FRANCE
64 kg
GOLD
Anastasia Beliakova
RUSSIA
64 kg
SILVER
Sandy Ryan
ENGLAND
64 kg
BRONZE
Shim Hee Jung
KOREA
64 kg
BRONZE
Supaporn Seesondee
THAILAND
69 kg
GOLD
Atheyna Bylon
PANAMA
69 kg
SILVER
Saadat Abdullaeva
RUSSIA
69 kg
BRONZE
Elena Vystropova
AZERBAIJAN
69 kg
BRONZE
Erika Guerrier
FRANCE
75 kg
GOLD
Claressa Shields
UNITED STATES
75 kg
SILVER
Li Qian
CHINA
75 kg
BRONZE
Nouchka Fontijn
NETHERLANDS
75 kg
BRONZE
Ariane Fortin-Brochu
CANADA
81 kg
GOLD
Yang Xiaoli
CHINA
81 kg
SILVER
Saweety Boora
INDIA
81 kg
BRONZE
Anastasia Chernokolenko
UKRAINE
81 kg
BRONZE
Elif Guneri
TURKEY
+81 kg
GOLD
Zenfira Magomedaliyeva
RUSSIA
+81 kg
SILVER
Lazzat Kungeybayeva
KAZAKHSTAN
+81 kg
BRONZE
Wang Shijin
CHINA
+81 kg
BRONZE
Emine Bozduman
TURKEY

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