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Katie Taylor moves one step closer to London

Katie Taylor stopped Saida Khassenova of Kazakhstan to book her place in the lightweight quarter-finals at the AIBA World Boxing Championships.

Updated 12.45

KATIE TAYLOR WAS too hot to handle as she booked her place in the quarter-finals of the AIBA World Boxing Championships this morning.

The three-time world champion led from the opening bell in her last 16 lightweight bout against Saida Khassenova of Kazakhstan before forcing the referee to stop the contest in the final round.

The result leaves Taylor three wins from a fourth successive world crown. But with six European fighters through to the last eight and only three places available to the continent at 60kg, she could need two more wins and a place in the final before she is guaranteed her spot at London 2012.

Fighting out of the red corner, the Bray native started strongly and led 8-3 at the end of the first round. But Khassenova put up a spirited challenge in the second, and Taylor had to box clever to stretch her advantage to 13-6 at the half-way point.

A convincing third round sealed the fight and gave her a 12-point cushion, 20-8, heading into the final round which was waved off with 19 seconds remaining.

“She was a very tricky opponent,” Taylor told Paul McDermott of the Irish Sports Council afterwards.

She was very good quality really and I had to be aware all the time. It was such a tough fight, I’m delighted to get through to the next round. Thank God I got through.

The first minute of the fight I was trying to just work her out with a lot of feints and a lot of left hands, just to try and look at her for a minute or so. The tactics that I got for her were perfect as usual.

Up next for Taylor is Romania’s Mihaela Lacatus, a former world champion herself. Lacatus beat world number eight Denitsa Eliseeva of Bulgaria 17-14 this morning.

Earlier, Ceire Smith’s Olympic dream came to an end in her last 16 bout against former world champion Karolina Michalczuk of Poland.

The Cavan flyweight struggled from the outset before the referee stopped the contest in the third round.

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28 Comments
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    Mute Kevin Dennis
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    May 15th 2012, 10:25 AM

    Katie Taylor is potentially Ireland’s greatest ever sports person.

    The pride of Ireland.

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    Mute Pádraic O'Callanáin
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    May 15th 2012, 10:28 AM

    Agreed. Her and Stephen Roche.

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    Mute Paulie K
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    May 15th 2012, 11:26 AM

    katie certainly but roche wasn’t even our best cyclist.

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    Mute New totwit
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    May 15th 2012, 10:27 AM

    GO ON KATIE! So proud of her… shes unbelievable and doesn’t get enough coverage in my opinion….

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    Mute Alex Olsen
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    May 15th 2012, 10:44 AM

    again with this coverage…SHE GETS TONNES OF COVERAGE!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    May 15th 2012, 10:24 AM

    Woooohoooo.

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    Mute Shit you not
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    May 15th 2012, 10:45 AM

    Love Katie!!! She is incredible!!!

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    Mute Peter 66
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    May 15th 2012, 10:36 AM

    Amazing attitude & talent with a great family behind her.

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    Mute Joan Ryan
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    May 15th 2012, 10:49 AM

    Brilliant!

    Well done and good luck for the next round.

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    Mute Randy Rarely
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    May 15th 2012, 10:58 AM

    fantastic! an inspiration to young sports people!

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    Mute Jenny Brandon
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    May 15th 2012, 11:16 AM

    Katie Taylor through to quarter finals! Well done Katie! Wicklow’s Pride!

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    Mute Sheila Byrne
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    May 15th 2012, 10:38 AM

    Go for it girl!! yyeeee hawww!

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    Mute Gerry campbell
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    May 15th 2012, 12:38 PM

    @alex regarding Katie’s coverage, don’t know what channel ur watching bud, but I have never seen a fight of Katie’s on RTE , “tonnes of coverage” ur easy please.

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    Mute Calvin Galvin
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    May 15th 2012, 1:00 PM

    That’s because nobody wants to watch women’s amateur boxing.

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    Mute Rob Davies
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    May 15th 2012, 1:29 PM

    Katie has fought a number of times on rte! She has even fought on the undercard of big pro fights.
    Let’s be realistic though it’s probably not economical to send a camera crew out to china to broadcast these championships. If she gets to box in London we will see her then. She is one of Ireland’s most recognised sportspeople and if that isn’t as a result of some form of coverage then what is it?

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    Mute Alex Olsen
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    May 15th 2012, 1:37 PM

    RTE have sent people out to China – as they did at the last women’s world championship in Barbados.

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    Mute Calvin Galvin
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    May 15th 2012, 12:08 PM

    Women boxing is just wrong

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    Mute Dave Mullen
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    May 15th 2012, 12:46 PM

    … and men shouldn’t cook.
    Go Katie!

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    Mute ⚡Wynnner⚡
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    May 15th 2012, 1:59 PM

    Come down to bray and say this to her face, actually why don’t you get a pair of gloves on you pussy

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    Mute Seany Mc Donagh
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    May 15th 2012, 4:59 PM

    Would you say that to her face?

    Best of luck to her. I’d love to get bet up by her. She’s deadly. nomnomnom.

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    Mute ⚡Wynnner⚡
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    May 15th 2012, 2:02 PM

    My kids dad trained a few yrs back in the club Katie’s dad runs, he’d run a mile if he had to face Katie in the ring, her speed and agility are something else sublime ant the word

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    Mute Frank Faldo
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    May 15th 2012, 3:54 PM

    They should give Katie the freedom of Ireland when she returns from the Olimpics.

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    Mute Gerry campbell
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    May 15th 2012, 1:07 PM

    @calvin you don’t like it, you say it’s not popular, yet you take the time to read an article on it that catches ur eye, confusing, anyway hang tough bud and you will see how popular it is in a little while,

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    Mute Alex Olsen
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    May 15th 2012, 1:17 PM

    gerry did you bother your b*ll*x going to support Katie earlier this year when she boxed in bray, cork and waterford?

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    Mute Meehawwl O' Buachailla
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    May 15th 2012, 1:27 PM

    Anyone can box well when they’ve no goolies to defend.

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    Mute Gerry campbell
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    May 15th 2012, 2:32 PM

    B god Alex ur watching her very closely , did she beat up ur sister or what.

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    Mute Alex Olsen
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    May 15th 2012, 3:07 PM

    Awsome response Gerry!

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    Mute Gerry campbell
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    May 15th 2012, 3:10 PM

    Maybe ’twas yourself

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