Taylor eases into final

Katie Taylor: Will fight for the lightweight gold medal

Katie Taylor guaranteed a silver medal for Ireland in the women's lightweight with an accomplished semi-final display at ExCel.

Taylor has barely tasted defeat in her boxing career and her technical skills proved too much for Mavzuna Chorieva of Tajikistan in a 17-9 points success.

The first half of the fight was a little frustrating, although Taylor connected with the better shots to lead 7-3 before pulling away as the seconds ticked by.

The Bray fighter picked off an outclassed Chorieva with a series of wonderful combinations and didn't have to work too hard to extend her lead further.

Victory sets up a clash with second seed Sofya Ochigava of Russia in a repeat of the 2011 World Championship final that Taylor won.

Taylor said: "It's amazing to box for the gold medal. I wouldn't mind the day off, but that's just because I'm lazy.

"I have trouble getting sleep before a big fight but I'll still manage to get a couple of hours in.

"The support has been incredible. Hopefully there will be a lot of young girls sitting at home watching this, and they will realise that this is something they can work towards. It is amazing for women's boxing."

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