With Katie Taylor preparing to glove up for her shot at Olympic qualification this morning (7am Irish time), flyweight Ceire Smith moved excitingly close to a place in the London Games by claiming a second victory at the Women’s World boxing championships in Quinhuangdao, China, yesterday.

Katie Taylor must wait until Monday to start her campaign underway at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in the Chinese city of Qinhuangdao, where her quest for a fourth successive lightweight title is overshadowed by her search for Olympic qualification.

A NUMBER of high-profile sportspeople and celebrities will be asked to carry the Olympic torch when it makes its historic visit to Dublin on June 6 next year.

Katie Taylor took a major step towards retaining her lightweight title at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Barbados, where she outpointed the Russian, Anastasia Belyakova, 16-1 in last night’s quarter-finals.