KATIE TAYLOR HAS safely negotiated the first hurdle in her quest to qualify for Rio 2016 with a convincing victory in the last 32 of the World Boxing Championships in Astana.
The Bray boxer must progress to the semi-final to book her ticket to the Olympics and she made light work of Swede Agnes Alexisson to begin the campaign in emphatic fashion.
The 29-year-old is aiming to win a record six successive world lightweight title this week.
Taylor was impressive in dispatching her opponent, with the judges scoring it 3-0 in her favour.
After a shock defeat at the semi-final stage of last month’s European Championships, there is now little margin for error for the defending Olympic champion.
She was purposeful from the first bell at the Barys Arena, landing a couple of combinations early to take control of the bout.
An accidental clash of heads left Taylor with a bloodied nose – the fight was stopped on three occasions for running repairs – but it made little difference as she stormed to victory.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
