A Trio of U.S. Boxers Advance to Quarterfinal Action at the 2010 Women’s World Championships

(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Lightweight Queen Underwood (Seattle, Wash.), light welterweight Cashmere Jackson (Cleveland, Ohio) and welterweight Andrecia Wasson (Centerline, Mich.) all clinched quarterfinal berths with victories in preliminary action on Monday at the 2010 Women’s World Championships in Bridgetown, Barbados. The trio now stands only one victory away world championships hardware.

Underwood notched her third victory of the tournament, defeating Thailand’s Sudaporn Seesondee in the first bout of the day for the U.S. squad. The three-time national champion enjoyed a more comfortable victory than her tiebreaker win on Saturday, holding Seesondee scoreless throughout the full eight minutes of action at the Garfield Sabers Sports Complex. Underwood fought a disciplined and patient bout, taking a small early lead and building on her edge round by round. She held a five-point lead as the final period began and enjoyed her highest point output in the final two minutes, winning an 8-0 final decision. Underwood will take on Bulgaria’s European Championships silver medalist Denitsa Eliseeva in quarterfinal action on Wednesday afternoon.

Shortly after Underwood’s bout, Jackson took the ring for her second bout of the 2010 Women’s World Championships. She enjoyed a victorious outcome in her bout as well, winning a 13-7 decision over China’s Qinqin Yang. Jackson opened the bout on fire, and her 7-2 edge in the first round was the key to the bout. Her pace slowed in the second stanza and Jackson held a 10-4 lead at the halfway mark of the bout. Yang kept the bout even over the final two rounds, including a scoreless final round by both boxers and Jackson claimed the 13-7 victory to move on to the quarterfinal round at her first World Championships. Jackson will face North Korea’s Yong Ri Suk in Wednesday evening’s quarterfinal action.

Two U.S. boxers competed in the evening session, beginning with Wasson’s bout with Russian Svetlana Kosova. The welterweight bout was a strategic chess match as neither boxer recorded a scoring blow in the opening round. Wasson struck first in the second period and the bout moved into the halfway point with the American boxer holding a slim 1-0 lead. She began to find the mark in the third, scoring three points while Kosova recorded her first scoring blow. Wasson enjoyed a three-point lead as the final round began, and held the same advantage at the end of the bout, winning a 5-2 final decision. The American welterweight’s victory advances her on to quarterfinal competition against Australia’s Naomi Lee Fischer-Rasmussen.

Middleweight Tiffanie Hearn (Louisville, Ky.) didn’t enjoy the same ending as her teammates in the final U.S. bout of the day. Hearn took on The Netherland’s Nouchka Fontijn in her second World Championships bout on Monday night. Hearn kept the bout close through the first half of the contest, facing only a 6-4 disadvantage after two rounds. Yet the second half of the bout told a different story with Fontijn holding Hearn scoreless en route to a 14-4 victory for the Dutch boxer.

Flyweight Marlen Esparza (Houston, Texas) will return to the ring on Tuesday afternoon to take on Thailand’s Peamwilai Laopeam, in her third bout of the tournament. Esparza will be the lone U.S. competitor on Tuesday and hopes to join her three U.S. teammates in the quarterfinal round with a win in Tuesday’s action. She is fresh off an upset victory over defending champion Kim Ok Hyang in Sunday’s preliminary competition.

For additional information on the event including live results and bracket sheets for all 10 weight divisions, go to http://aiba.org/en-US/womens/Womens2010.aspx.

U.S. Results

132 lbs: Queen Underwood, Seattle, Wash./USA dec.Sudaporn Seesondee, THA, 8-0

125 lbs: Cashmere Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio/USA dec. Qinqin Yang, CHN, 13-7
152 lbs: Andrecia Wasson, Centerline, Mich./USA dec. Svetlana Kosova, RUS, 5-2
165 lbs: Nouchka Fontijn, NED, dec. Tiffanie Hearn, Louisville, Ky./USA, 14-4

USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).