Crunch time for Adams at World Championships (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Crunch time for Adams at World Championships

6:10am Wednesday 16th May 2012 in Sport

Nicola Adams can clinch Olympic qualification today when she competes for a place in the semi-finals of the World Championships in China.

The former Bradford College student – who honed her skills by training at Huggy’s Gym in Bradford as a youngster – must reach the semi-finals or be in the top three Europeans in her weight division in order to secure an Olympic berth.

Flyweight Adams (51kg) recorded a convincing 20-7 win over Venezuela’s Panamerican champion Karlha Magliocco in the last 16, with the referee stopping the fight twice for her opponent to recover.

She faces five-time 48kg world champion Mary Kom of India, who has stepped up a division, in the quarter-finals today.

“I’m the underdog so I’ve got nothing to lose,” said Adams. “I’ve got the tools to do it (win) and I’ll give it everything.”

The reigning European champion and two-time world silver medallist opened the competition with a 19-7 victory over Belarus’s Yana Levankova.

Twenty four women will be taking part in the boxing competition in London, which is included for the first time in Olympic history.

They will compete in three weight categories: 48-51kg, 57-60kg and 69-75kg, with eight boxers in each division.