The eighth edition of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships completed its first competition day in Jeju, Korea, where 280 elite boxers from 67 nations are taking part.

Sixteen bouts were held on the opening day of the competition, where Kazakhstan’s Dina Zholaman caused a huge surprise following her triumph over Argentina’s gold medal contender Leonela Sanchez.

Bout of the day
Philippines’ Nesthy Petecio was a quarter-finalist at the 2010 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Bridgetown, Barbados four years ago when she was only 18, and she won the China Open Tournament last year.

The 22-year-old boxer competed at the Asian Games in Incheon in September where she advanced to the quarter-finals, and the Filipino boxer has now returned to the Featherweight class (57 kg) after the Games.

Petecio arrived to the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships to Jeju as a medal contender, but she had to open her competition against an experienced European opponent, Sweden’s Linnea Strandell, who had competed in 101 bouts prior to the competition.

The Asian boxer tried to reduce the fighting distance from the first minute of the contest, and her attacks were very successful in the opening two rounds.

Strandell did not give up the battle, but her efforts were not enough to turn back the bout, and she eventually lost a very exciting contest.

Petecio’s next opponent will be Algeria’s experienced Manel Meharzi in the next preliminary round.

Team of the day
China’s Gao Jinyan claimed a bronze medal at their National Women’s Championships in 2011, which was her first excellent result during her career.

The 22-year-old Bantamweight class (54 kg) boxer trains in the Liaoning Province, and she is competing in her first international event in Jeju, where she was too strong for Hungary’s newly crowned National Champion Szabina Szucs.

China’s second triumph was delivered by Xie Lili, who was a silver medallist in the 2012 ASBC Asian Women’s Continental Championships in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia.

The 25-year-old Light Welterweight class (64 kg) boxer has come from Beijing to try and win her first title in Jeju, and she opened with effective punches against Algeria’s Rania M’Allaloui, who has moved up a weight class since her appearance in the AFBC African Women’s Continental Championships.

Xie Lili eventually won the bout by unanimous decision, and is one to watch over the course of the Championships.

Surprise of the day
Argentina’s AMBC American Women’s Continental Champion Leonela Sanchez travelled to the island of Jeju as one of the gold medal contender of the Bantamweight class (54 kg), but she was unable to perform at her best in her opening bout against Kazakhstan’s two-time National Champion Dina Zholaman.

Sanchez started slowly, and never looked comfortable in the bout, so therefore Zholaman’s hand was raised after the final bell in Jeju which was the biggest surprise of the opening competition day.

One to watch
England’s EUBC European Women’s Youth Continental Championships silver medallist Sandy Ryan is a new face in their national elite squad, but she enjoyed a dream opening round of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Jeju.

The 21-year-old used her longer hands to keep the distance against Hungary’s European Union Women’s Champion Bianka Nagy, and the English boxer knocked down her Hungarian opponent in the third round, and dominated every frame in Jeju, which means she will now meet with Turkey’s two-time AIBA Women’s World Champion Gulsum Tatar Kaptan.

Stat/Fact of the day
Sixteen spectacular bouts opened the first day of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Jeju, Korea.

China, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Russia and United States of America are in Jeju with the maximum number of ten women’s boxers.

The number of participants per confederations are the following:
Africa: 27 boxers from 11 nations
America: 41 boxers from 13 nations
Asia: 78 boxers from 15 nations
Europe: 126 boxers from 26 nations
Oceania: 8 boxers from 2 nations

Quote of the day
“One of our medal hopes Nesthy Petecio connected with well-placed uppercuts and hooks to take an early lead in the first part of her bout against Sweden’s Linnea Strandell. She relaxed a bit in the third round and her aggressive opponent was better in that frame. Petecio picked it up again in the last round to score the unanimous decision,” commented Mr. Edgar Picson the Executive Director of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines Nesthy Petecio’s opening triumph over her European opponent.

Tomorrow’s program
The local organizers have separated the program of the second competition day into an afternoon and an evening session due to the high number of bouts.

Boxers of the Flyweight class (51 kg), Featherweight class (57 kg), Lightweight class (60 kg) and Welterweight class (69 kg) will be in action on Day 2 in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Jeju, Korea.

Among the top athletes, Bulgaria’s EUBC European Continental Champion Stoyka Petrova and Russia’s two-time AIBA Women’s World Champion Sofya Ochigava will be fighting for the next round on the second competition day.

One of the most anticipated battle will be held between Azerbaijan’s Elena Vystropova and England’s Stacey Copeland which will be the return match of the final of the EUBC European Women’s Continental Championships.

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