Claressa Shields Advances to the Gold Medal Bout While Marlen Esparza Claims Bronze‏

The final two U.S. competitors in Olympic boxing took the ring on Wednesday and it was a split decision for the pair. Flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) lost a 10-8 bout to reigning World Champion Cancan Ren of China while Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) won a dominant 29-15 victory over Kazakhstan’s Marina Volnova. Esparza will leave London with a bronze medal but Shields will vie for gold on Thursday.

After facing a towering two-time World Champion in her Olympic opener, Shields enjoyed a much easier day in her semifinal contest with Volnova. The power-punching teenager started landing heavy shots early in the bout, and held a 7-5 lead after the round. She continued to control the action in the second, boxing well off the ropes and getting the best of the exchanges and Shields enjoyed a 12-8 advantage at the midway mark of the bout. Yet it was the third round where Shields really began to impose her will. She landed every punch in the book, giving Volnova a standing eight count en route a 20-11 lead with one round remaining. Volnova had no answer for Shields in the fourth round as the 17-year-old continued to catch her with heavy shots, giving her another standing eight count. She continued her onslaught through the sound of the final bell and went on to win a 29-15 final decision. Shields victory earns her a berth in the championship bout where she will face Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova.

“She was going to try and come in and fight me, she didn’t have any other option. She couldn’t outbox me so she was going to come in and try to out-bang me. We already knew that and we came up with a game plan for it,” Shields said. “The game plan was basically to move to the right and jab and box her but she didn’t respect me when I did that so I turned it into a fun game and I started banging with her. I got the best of it, I was able to pick my shots, make her miss a lot and we were just in there fighting. It was fun though.”

Should she win tomorrow’s championship bout, Shields will be the first American boxer since Andre Ward to win Olympic gold and the first middleweight champion ever in women’s Olympic boxing.

Esparza faced a much more tactical and slow-paced bout with her Chinese opponent and the 23-year-old veteran planned well for her inactive opponent. The first round was contested at a very slow pace with Esparza looking to make Ren come forward and the Chinese boxer was up by a 3-2 margin after one. The trend continued in the second round as Esparza stayed disciplined and looked to bait Ren, but she trailed 7-4 after two. Esparza picked up the pace in the third round, still boxing in a tactical fashion with her awkward and frustrating opponent and she was able to knock one point off Ren’s advantage. She faced an 8-6 deficit as the final round began but wasn’t discouraged by the score. Esparza stayed focused, and set up strong right hand shots, while Ren refused to engage over the final two minutes. However it was Ren taking the decision, winning the bout by a 10-8 margin. Although the loss eliminates Esparza from the tournament, she still claims a bronze medal in the Olympic debut of women’s boxing.

“I thought I got away with it. I really thought that I landed, I guess maybe her punches are a little longer, a little easier to see. I have to watch the tape but I definitely thought that I got away with it. When I was only down by two, I thought, okay I can do that because I was starting to find my range. I should have shot off my breaks more but its hard with someone that constantly pulls back. She was frustrated, she was pissed because I wasn’t coming forward so that was part of the game plan and I thought I did everything that I could do.”

Shields will face Torlopova tomorrow at 5:15 p.m. London time (12:15 ET).

U.S. Results

112 lbs: Cancan Ren, CHN, dec. Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas/USA, 10-8

165 lbs: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich./USA dec. Marina Volnova, KAZ, 29-15

Marlen Esparza Quotes

“I can’t be angry about any medal at all but it wasn’t my goal. I did accomplish something here, it just wasn’t what I had in my head but any medal is a blessing at the Games.”

“We knew she wasn’t going to commit ever so the game plan was to not go forward so when I did, that’s when I got in trouble. When I did leap forward, she would catch me with those hooks. So when I didn’t follow the game plan was when I did get countered, but the point was to throw when she throws. In the beginning, it was just supposed to be one punch and see if she comes back with anything. I thought I got away with it so I can’t really change too much.”

“The third and fourth round was also the plan, I wasn’t really supposed to throw in the first or second. I was supposed to only wing it in the first and second and see what she does and find my range and then got closer in the third and fourth. I thought I got away with it in the last round because I really didn’t feel anything but I didn’t.”

“No her style is as boring to us as it is to everyone else. Everyone can’t stand it but it works so you can’t blame her.”

“This was my hardest loss because I thought I was gonna win. Usually, 99% of the time, when you get in the ring, you know if you’re gonna lose or if you’re gonna win and I definitely thought I was gonna win.”

“I hope that whatever I did was some type of limelight for what we can do (female boxers). I was hoping for a gold medal to have a little more concrete of a reason but I’m hoping that whatever we’re doing here, not just myself, but everyone else gives us more of a force to get in as a solid start.”

“I’m done, that was my last bout.”

“My body’s falling apart already. I’m in sports med about four hours a day.”

“I think for the women in the U.S., we’re very capable of competing in this sport. We’re very capable of competing with other countries so I think we’re doing very well for the three women that did come and hopefully it will give us a foot in the door, more than we already have.”

“I thought I got away with it, I wasn’t too nervous at the decision. I was gaining every round and I felt that my last round was my better round and I thought they were going to give me what I felt. I thought it was even or I was up by one and I figured if it was even, I would win on punch count. I was feeling really good about it and I could tell she was worried and her coach wasn’t so happy so I felt good until I heard the score and then I knew.”

“It (the Olympics) was definitely more than I expected, I played it in my mind a hundred times but it was way better than I ever thought. It was a big crowd, it was fun, it was beautiful so it definitely surpassed my expectations.”

“The worst part about it is that you imagine it in your mind so many times and to watch somebody else right in front of me feel and get and have what I feel like I worked my whole life for is just horrible but its just the way it worked out for me so there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“I plan to be really fat later on. I’m just going to watch boxing. I’m done. Maybe coaching later. I’m just going to go school and see what life is actually besides boxing.”

“It was definitely worth it. It didn’t play out exactly the way I wanted but besides getting a gold medal, I wouldn’t change anything.”

“Olympic medalist has a nice ring to it but the podium’s not going to be as fun as I thought it was going to be.”

“I’m a hard critic so I really don’t feel like I accomplished enough for us (female boxers). I had a lot of media so I figured if anyone was going to do it, it was going to be me.”

Claressa Shields Quotes

“I do that, they actually don’t like me on the ropes. I fight good off the ropes, they want me to stay in the middle of the ring but I’m good at fighting off the ropes.”

“It’s wonderful (knowing that I’m going to fight for the gold medal). I’m already thinking, is it really true? Am I really gonna fight for the gold tomorrow? I just think to myself, I’m not dreaming anymore, its real. I know I can beat anybody so it’s right there. I just have to grab it.”

“I didn’t know what they were saying but I saw in the second round he was doing this (makes jab motion) so I know he was telling me to use my jab. Use it, use it. I did that and it opened me up to a lot more combinations.”

“I think that’s the performance I wanted everyone to see. My performance the other day was okay. I was fighting a taller girl, I threw a lot of wide shots but this one. I was able to put my combinations together, land my clean, hard shots, punch straight. I was able to do a lot of things that people don’t see women doing.”

“I know I was faster than her before I got in the ring.”

“I’m not going to celebrate too early, people do that. They get excited that I won a bronze medal. I’m not going to do that. I have to make sure I stay focused. I think yesterday, I was with my coaches the whole day. We went out and had dinner. I ate some duck. We really just sat down and talked about all my mistakes from my first fight. He told me what he wanted me to do this fight.”

“When Errol lost last light, I felt kind of heavy. I was like ugh. It might be all on me and Marlen. It might me all on me. It’s all on me to get a gold medal. I can overcome all that because at the end of the day, I have to get in the ring and fight.”

“I’ll take on any task that has to do with women’s boxing so if that’s what’s asked me I’ll be the face of American women’s boxing.”

“I was a lot sharper than what I was. People were like you swing wide and fight like Rocky Balboa.”

“My favorite Rocky movie is when he beat the Russian. No, when he fought Mr. T. Mr. T is crazy but I feel like this fight, I showed my Sugar Ray Robinson. I like to call myself Baby Robinson because I feel like I fight like him. I did my thing today. Out of 1 through 10, I’d give myself an eight or nine.”

“Right now, I can’t imagine winning a gold medal. Not right now.”

“I like the way Sugar Ray Leonard fights too but Robinson is someone that I’ve looked up to forever. Whenever I’m stressed out or I have a bad day, I use it to calm myself down. I was watching Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta last night.”

“I was geeked up, I listened to slow music to calm me down and some crunk music to geek me up. I had to have confidence going in there. Whenever someone wants to bang with you, you can either say I’m not going to bang with this person, I’m going to let them beat me up or you can fight them and I got the best of her every round so I did pretty good. The first round, I didn’t like that. It was like we were trading and I’m supposed to be hitting her and she’s not supposed to be hitting me.”

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Flyweight Marlen Esparza’s (Houston, Texas) decade-long journey in the boxing ring finally culminated in her debut at the 2012 Olympic Games on Monday

Flyweight Marlen Esparza’s (Houston, Texas) decade-long journey in the boxing ring finally culminated in her debut at the 2012 Olympic Games on Monday and the 23-year-old made sure it was a victorious one. The Houston native gave Team USA a much needed win a guaranteed herself at least a bronze medal with a 24-16 victory over Venezuela’s Karla Magliocco. Teenage sensation Claressa Shields(Flint, Mich.) followed two hours later with a comeback win over Sweden’s Anna Laurell to clinch a middleweight medal as well.

Esparza got off to a quick start in her bout, out-boxing Magliocco from the opening bell. Her early momentum gave Esparza an 8-4 lead after the first round. She continued to connect with her signature overhand right in the second round, evading the Venezuelan’s ongoing shots and extending her advantage to a 14-8 margin. Despite the referee stopping the bout numerous times to have the coach fix her hair, which was coming out of her headgear and the crowd booing her growing lead, Esparza stayed focused on the task at hand. She took a 19-12 lead into the final round and managed to avoid the charging Magliocco to win the 24-16 final decision. The victory guarantees Esparza at least a bronze medal and advances her to a semifinal match-up with reigning world champion Ren Cancan of China on Wednesday.

“It feels good, I feel really good about winning a medal. In the U.S., if it’s not gold, it’s not good enough so I’m trying to get a gold. That’s really what I want. I’ll be happy with whatever I get from this point because no matter what it is, it’s a blessing to get this far. But in my mind, I really am dying for a gold medal,” Esparza said.

She has been preparing for her rematch with Cancan, and hopes to keep her record of never losing twice to the same opponent in tact when she faces the reigning world champion on Wednesday.

“I’m ready for the next match. That’s the one I’ve been playing in my head a million times, over and over. That’s the definitely the one that I’m here for,” Esparza said. “It feels good to win a medal and I know that the USA needed it badly right now so I’m excited about that, but now it’s time to get what I came here for and that’s the next match.”

Shields continued the winning ways in her bout with two-time World Champion Laurell. The American teenager faced a large height deficit in her bout with Laurell, but that didn’t discourage Shields from throwing shots at her towering opponent. Yet it was Laurell who held a 4-2 lead after the first round. Shields began to cut the distance between the two of them in the second round, finding a home for her double jab, right hand combination and she cut her deficit to one at the halfway mark. She continued to find the mark in the third round, landing strong hooks and the bout went into the final round locked at 12-12. Shields simply wouldn’t be deterred in the final round, coming out firing strong shots. She rocked Laurell with a body shot, hook combination, giving the Swedish boxer a standing eight count.

Shields won by the round by a four-point margin, taking the bout by an 18-14 final score. As in Esparza’s case, the quarterfinal victory ensures Shields will win at least a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. She moves on to a semifinal bout with Kazakhstan’s Marina Volnovafollowing Volnova’s win over reigning World Champion Savannah Marshall in the bout prior to Shields’.

“In the first round, I didn’t want to rush her because that’s how I lost a fight previously. She was taller, I knew she wanted to outrun me and stay on the outside so I took it slow and I was down two going into the second round. In the second round, I was down by one and that’s when I sharpened up and started picking my shots,” Shields said. “In the third round, we were tied up 12-12, the only thing I was thinking was bite down. I was thinking, this is what you’ve been working on in training camp, staying calm and picking your shots. This is it, do it. I just told myself that I wasn’t going to let her get it from me the last round.”

Welterweight Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) will compete in his quarterfinal contest on Tuesday at 10 p.m. London time (5 p.m. ET), in a bout with Russia’s Andrey Zamkovoy. Spence was reinstated in the competition following a U.S. protest of his bout with India’s Krishan Vikas.

U.S. Results

112 lbs: Marlen Esparza, Houston, Texas/USA dec. Karla Magliocco, VEN, 24-16

165 lbs: Claressa Shields, Flint, Mich./USA dec. Anna Laurell, SWE, 18-14

Marlen Esparza Quotes
“If you try to be first with someone who likes to throw punches, it’s just going to end badly for you so you try to let her throw first, counter, and then get out of the way.”

“I thought the crowd was going to freak me out a lot more than it did. I thought it was going to be like oh my gosh, all these people. What am I doing? I want to go home, but it was okay. Then they were booing a lot. That pissed me off a little bit so that helped. That was really all I was worried about because I’ve never been in front of a crowd like that. Everything happens for reason, if they had been way happier, it would have been worse for me. Since they were a little upset, it kind of gave me a lot more energy.”

“When I walked in and I realized that all those people didn’t freak me, it made me really happy and that’s why I was smiling walking to the ring.”

“I hope that the people in Houston were happy with what happened today. I’m just really happy that they supported me. I’ve been getting so much support from Houston, its crazy so I really appreciate it.”

“I’m happy with a bye because internationally, my brackets have been so hard. I get European Champion, former World Champion, reigning World Champion and then the finals. I’m really happy with the bye, I feel like God was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to give you a break this time Marlen’.”

“My hair is really thin, that’s why I braid it, so that doesn’t happen but it got pushed out in the back because the headgear is so tight and new. It kept pushing my hair down and it made it come out. My hair will come out of anything. It was distracting but I just kept pretending like it was okay because if you keep worrying about my hair, my hair, it messes with your mind and she was being too aggressive for me to think about anything else.”

“I think this tournament, they are looking for a little more of the professional style, which is different. Usually they like the amateur style, a lot of points, a lot of movement but it seems like if you’re really aggressive, they like it better. This tournament is kind of close to professional boxing.”

“I’m not planning to turn professional, I’m going to go to school so these are my last fights.”

“I’m not a slow starter luckily so I’m good at going right away. That’s why I win so much because I’m usually up in the first round and that helps me because I like to move versus go forward. I was faster too.”

“I’ve been practicing with left handers for a month so that (the right hand) just came out. I kept saying when she jumps in, I’m going to jab but I couldn’t control my body and boom there goes my right hand. So it wasn’t really on purpose, it was just habit because I’ve been practicing with left handers. Luckily it worked in my favor. I’m glad I didn’t have to use my jab first or I would have been having a hard time.”

“It’s not really one fight (to medal), it took like 50 fights to get here so I don’t really see it that way. I see that I got a definite blessing in the brackets and I think it was well deserved because my other brackets have been horrible. I know people are going to think that, but I deserved that bye and it took me a long time to get here.”

“I wasn’t as fast on my feet as I usually I am and I couldn’t jab and I love my jabs, but it’s something that I’m not really going to need after this point because I fight a left hander tomorrow.”

“We’re definitely going to stare at each other for half of the fight because if I go forward, it’s going to go downhill. If she goes forward, it’s going to go downhill so we’re definitely going to be looking at each other for half the fight.”

“I was working pads in the village and I saw Kobe, Carmelo and Lebron James yesterday. I didn’t really see them because I was focused but they stopped and said, ‘Can we take a picture?’ I stopped and saw all these famous people and I thought, I would have tried harder if I’d known it was you.”

Claressa Shields Quotes

“I had to keep myself calm, I didn’t want to be too overanxious so when I walked out, I was warm. At the end of the day, I’ve got go out there and fight. There’s no need to be overexcited. It was kind of like wow when I walked out.”

“I think a lot of men weren’t treated fairly but that’s just how it is. They had really close bouts and they had tough opponents so that’s how it played out.”

“That’s just how it is (guaranteeing a bronze medal with one win). This is the first Olympics for women’s boxing. There are 12 in each weight class, the men have up to 30 in a weight class because they have all these different qualifications for the men but there’s only one qualification for the women. They took the two best from each continent who placed at the World Championships so there’s 12 of us here. It will probably be better next Olympics but to me, it’s fair.

“I was happy to go to bed every day and wake up the next day and there’s was one less day to go (waiting to box). I got irritated, I watched six or seven straight guys lose from the USA and I wanted all of them to place. I wanted everyone to get a medal but I had to control my emotions. I never cried, I gave everyone some good words of encouragement and after that, I tried to stay focused on me. I just made sure I went to bed every night and woke up the next day, that was it.”

“Hopefully (in 50 years), women’s boxing will have 30 boxers in each weight class. I hope that they start treating us fairly. I think they want all the attention to be on the women and that’s why we are fighting separately from the men but at the same time, I think its only fair to mix us in because sometimes you want to see women and you want to see men. I don’t see why they have to separate us.”

“I really wanted to fight Savannah Marshall, she gave me my first loss. That’s something that has motivated me. If I win, I’ve got Savannah my next fight, but it didn’t work out like that. I have Kazakhstan next. I just have go watch film and dissect her.”

“There’s always room for improvement. Jason was proud, being at this level. We don’t think about scoring 30 or 40 points anymore, we just think about the win. I’m going to fix some stuff. I’ve got my day off, I’m going to sharpen up a little bit more. I got a little rust off, I haven’t fought since I lost. I’ve been in the ring sparring and stuff but that’s my first time in front of a huge crowd where people are going for me and against me. So now I get the rust off and I’ll fight better.”

“That girl was a tough opponent, she was really tall. Any tall fighter can beat any short fighter and any short fighter can beat any tall fighter but nine times out 10, you have to be a really good short fighter to beat somebody tall.”

“I feel that I can do better but I definitely feel like I don’t fight like a girl. I feel like I went out there and proved a point. I’m going to keep proving that point until I get to that gold medal.”

“I’m boxing in there. I just happen to hit hard, that’s how I was taught. I wasn’t taught to load up. If I was to load up on every punch, I would have been stupid tired in that last round and she would have won. I was just being sharp and I just happen to hit hard. I’ve been paying attention to the point system, I really have. I watched six guys from our team lose so I have been watching and trying to see, which round the judges are pushing the button the most in and for some reason, it’s the second round. I was really happy that I was only down by one after the second round. I really don’t think she was scoring a lot but sometimes they are just down there clicking.”

“My idols are Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis and Tommy Hearns. I love those guys.”

“Jason sent a message through Coach Leverette. He said to stay calm, have fun and go out there and do what I do. He said all my hard work was done in the gym and now its time to have some fun and do what I’ve been waiting to do and that’s have a chance to perform and get my gold medal. I just went out there and at first I was being really cautious. I just had to figure her out, she’s a really tall fighter.”

“I have a strong determination not to lose. I feel like growing up, I lost so much, I just want to be a winner. I love boxing, I put all my time into boxing and I feel like I deserve to win. No one can control my destiny but me so I go in there and sometimes, I’m mad and sometimes I’m not mad. I just go in there and do my best.”

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Epic atmosphere as Katie Taylor masterclass sees off spirited Jonas‏

Epic atmosphere as Katie Taylor masterclass sees off spirited Jonas‏

It was the Women's quarter-finals across the Fly (51kg), Light (60kg) and Middleweight (75kg) categories during the afternoon session of the tenth day of competition at London 2012 Olympic Games. There was not a spare seat and the atmosphere at the ExCeL arena was just phenomenal.

Starting the action in the Flyweight (51kg) category was top seed and reigning three-time AIBA World Champion Cancan Ren from China in action against Russian 28-year-old Elena Savelyeva. The first round began tentatively with both boxers showing restraint, but a good straight gave the Chinese 24-year-old southpaw the edge. A good three punch combination demonstrated Ren's speed in the second as she took the round over the European Champion. The 24-year-old policewoman from China continued to dominate and took the final two rounds to record a 12:7 victory.

Venezuela's Karlha Magliocco, who had been so impressive in her first bout, then faced 23-year-old Marlen Esparza, recently profiled in Vogue magazine. A good left hook to the chin, good footwork and are positive approach saw the American 23-year-old land several big shots as she opened up a four point gap going into the second. The two orthodox fighters were really feisty, trading a lot of punches, but Esparza's more measured approach saw her score with much cleaner shots on the counter. The scenario was repeated in the third and fourth as the impressive boxer from the USA moved into the semi-finals with a 24:16 win. Esparza now faces Ren.

The crowd went wild once again as legend Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte, or Mary Kom for short, made her way into the ring to do battle with 24-year-old Maroua Rahali from Tunisia. The Indian southpaw was giving so much height away to her rival that she had to wait, be patient and calculating, in order to score on the counter, doing so perfectly in the first as she just edged it. A good right hook, and another, allowed her to dictate proceedings to take the second. The 29-year-old mother-of-two was now getting into her stride in the third and boxed brilliantly with several combinations hitting their target as she went into the final round with a seven point advantage. A big overhead right assured her of her place in the semi-finals and a guaranteed medal, after a classy and confident 15:6 victory.

Kom declared afterwards, "I am extremely happy, my dreams have come true. For the past year I have been dreaming of an Olympic medal and now it has happened. My focus now is on trying to achieve silver, then after that let's see. For the last three or four years, I have been training with men that are taller and heavier than me. It has helped a lot".

In the last of the Flyweight (51kg) quarter-finals, Great Britain's AIBA World Championships silver medallist Nicola Adams went head to head with Stoyka Petrova of Bulgaria and a big right hand followed by a huge left in the first saw the second seed take the early initiative. A good left uppercut and some quick one-twos through the guard of the Bulgarian southpaw had Adams dominating the second to the raucous applauds of the spectators. Stepping up a grear, the Brit overpowered Petrova in the final two rounds, finding time to do an 'Ali' style shuffle on her way to inflicting an impressive 16:7 defeat on her opponent.

There was an atmosphere like never before at the ExCeL Arena, with the Irish supporters present far outnumbering those of the home nation. Thousands of flags were being held aloft as Irish quadruple World Champion Katie Taylor made her entrance into a cauldron of noise that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. She faced tough competitor Natasha Jonas from Great Britain in what promised to be an absolute thriller. The fight lived up to its billing. 26-year-old Taylor was just class in the first, throwing a four punch combination then some vicious hard straights to take the round in resounding fashion. Jonas battled hard in the second with a straight left putting the Irish legend on the back foot as the points were shared. It was fast and furious in the third with Taylor catching the 28-year-old Brit with a fantastic right and Jonas was forced to take a standing eight count in an electric round. Round four brought the house down, Taylor soaking up the punches from her rival in a defensive master class before pouncing with some thunderous straights to take the bout 26:15. It was by far the best contest of the tournament so far, an absolute epic and a fantastic advert for women's boxing. The noise levels for that bout were measured at 113.7 decibels, the equivalent of having a jackhammer by your ear, top class.

Taylor told the packed media centre, "Natasha is a super boxer and a fantastic person. I had to work so hard. She was not hurt at all. I am just delighted with the win". On reaching the semis, she declared, "I am here to win gold, nothing else. Anything other than a gold medal will be a failure for me. At the end of the week I will be an Olympic champion". On the support of the crowd, she said, "With support like that it is just amazing, but for me, except for the atmosphere, this was just another fight".

Size did not matter for Tajikistan's Mavzuna Chorieva against the tall Cheng Dong from China, as she expertly moved inside to work the body and throw some deft uppercuts and overheads throughout four quality rounds. The first round was drawn but after that teenage Chorieva, who came third at the AIBA World Boxing Championships, exerted her authority to outbox her opponent on her way to a solid 13:8 victory.

Brazilian 31-year-old orthodox Adriana Araujo's good counter-punching style got the better of Morocco's Mahjouba Oubtil in the opening two rounds as she landed some good stiff jabs as well as some hard hooks. In the third, the 29-year-old mounted a good come back to win the round. The Panamerican Champion from Brazil did well in the closing stages to ensure she progressed 16:12.

In the last of the Lightweight (69kg) contests, rangy New Zealander Alexis Pritchard struggled to cope with the speed of the second seeded southpaw Sofya Ochigava, the silver medallist at the recent AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships. The Russian was just too quick and precise, and was too difficult to read in the first two rounds as she moved in quickly to land some solid shots. Ochigava threw a thunderous left hook and Pritchard had to take a standing eight count in the third. In the final round, the 25-year-old Russian was landing at will with that vicious right hand of hers doing the damage as she went on to record a resounding 22:4 victory.

The first of the Middleweight (75kg) bouts saw reigning AIBA World Champion and top seedSavannah Marshall from Great Britain take on tough Kazak Marina Volnova. The 'Silent Assassin' just could not get into gear in the opening exchanges as Volnova stood up to her, equalling her in every department. It continued to be the same in the second as Marshall could not get to grips with her rival. In the third, Volnova was the one applying the pressure and, to the dismay of the crowd, she claimed the points in that one. It was a major upset as the Marina Volnova took the last round to win 16:12 and knock-out the favourite.

Two-time former AIBA World Champion Anna Laurell battled teenage sensation Claressa Shields from the USA in the second Middleweight (75kg) contest of the session and the Swede took the early initiative with the good use of her jab. In the second, the American orthodox fighter's big overheads were getting through and she won the round. The third was an exact replica as Shields continued to hit her target. The superior technique of the 17-year-old American was causing the tall Laurell all sorts of problems and she went in to the final round equal on points. A huge left hook by the American had Laurell taking a standing eight count and from then on it was one way traffic as Shields completely overawed her opponent to move into the semi-finals with a 18:14 victory. She will now battle it out with Volnova for a place in the final.

On her victory, Shields declared, "It was super awesome. My trainer taught me everything I know. I train 24/7 so it means a lot to me. I really sharpened up and I was not going to let her get me in the last round. She was real tall and I was thinking 'be sharp, don't be hit'. I had to control my emotions. After that I just tried to stay focused".

Experienced Canadian Mary Spencer began well against Jinzi Li of China, taking the first round with the clever use of the jab. In the second however, the Chinese came back strong, cornering Spencer before unloading some penetrating straights to score heavily. The two orthodox boxers were evenly matched in the third as they both exchanged some solid punches to draw the round. A real battle ensued in the final round as the two went toe-to-toe, trading blows throughout but Li was the one who came out on top to win 17:14.

Nadezda Torlopova was straight out of the blocks in the final bout of the session with straight and right hooks doing serious damage in the first and second rounds. Two huge right hands sent her opponent Edith Ogoke of Nigeria to the canvas in the third as the Russian completely dominated the exchanges. In the end, it was a frightening display of power by Torlopova who looked in fine form as she cruised to a thunderous 18:8 victory.

That session was one the best of the tournament so far and really had the crowd up on its feet cheering on some truly world class athletes. They will be looking forward to more of the same as the evening session sees the Men's Light (60kg), Middle (75kg) and Super Heavyweight (91+kg) quarter-finals take place.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

HISTORY TO BE MADE ON SEPTEMBER 22ND WITH THE FIRST EVER CASINO BOXING CARD IN NEW YORK CITY‏

Saturday night, September 22nd, 2012 will be an historic night of boxing as the first ever professional boxing event will be staged in a casino inside New York City as New Legend Boxing/Old World Boxing and W.O.N Promotions present a spectacular show at the beautiful Resorts World Casino New York City in South Ozone Park, New York

“We are very excited about this new venue”, said Felipe Gomez of New Legend Boxing.

“The casino is an important move for us and our business partners. This will help to take our promotions to the next level. The International Fight Night card will feature some of the best local talent in the New York area and will be the first in what we believe will be a long term relationship with the Resorts World Casino New York City”

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Ihab Almatbouli keeps promise made to Royal family‏

One of the heart warming stories of London 2012 is that of Ihab Almatbouli's older brother promising the Royal family of Jordan back in 2007 that either he or his brother would become the first Jordanian boxer to participate in the Olympic Games. The promise was kept as Ihab made it to the second round of preliminaries in the British capital.

After the 26-year-old came third at the AIBA Asian Olympic Qualifying Event Astana 2012 in May to book his place for the biggest show on earth, Ihab Almatbouli was invited to the three-week training camp before the Olympic Games as part of the AIBA Road to London program to ensure that he was well prepared for his debut.

Ihab Almatbouli made history by becoming the first ever boxer from his country to compete at the Olympic Games when he defeated Nigeria's Lukmon Lawal during the first round of preliminaries. On the eighth day of competition, he then put on a brave showing against Cuban Team Captain Julio la Cruz Peralta as members of the Jordanian Royal Family watched on. He was gracious in his defeat to the first seed and was real credit to both himself and to his country. There was huge respect between la Cruz Peralta and Almatbouli at the end of their bout, exemplifying all that is good about the sport.

Other Road to London participants were also in action. Cameroon's Thomas Essomba worked extremely hard against 2008 Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist Paddy Barnes, catching him with some good shots in both the first and the second round. Unfortunately, the class of the 25-year-old Irishman told as Essomba bowed out of the competition.

Teenage Filipino Mark Barriga also did himself proud by taking one round in his defeat to Kazakhstan's Birzhan Zhakypov by mixing up his shots and landing some good punches. Overall though, Zhakypov's experience told and his know-how allowed him to dominate the bout. The potential of the diminutive southpaw from the Philippines will surely see him come back in four years and compete for medals at Rio 2016.

Osmar Bravo Amador became the first boxer from Nicaragua to box at the Olympic Games since 1996 and was another of the Road to London participants to excel in the first round of preliminaries. He battled hard in the second round of preliminaries against Ukraine's AIBA World Boxing Championships quarter-finalist and European Cup winner Oleksandr Gvozdyk but could not claim the victory.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Serena Williams is now officially - the first woman to win all four Grand Slams + Olympic gold medal

Beautiful, bootyliscious tennis diva Serena Williams is now officially - the first woman to win all four Grand Slams, plus an Olympic gold medal and achieve a Golden Slam in both singles and doubles at the ongoing London Olympics 2012 competition.

Serena Williams not only took home her first singles gold medal but also performed what may be the first ever Olympic crip walk after defeating Maria Sharapova.

And everyone's talking about that crip walk, really.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.