Katie Taylor lands bye into last 32 at World Championships in Astana

OLYMPIC champion Katie Taylor has received a bye into the last 32 of the ninth World Women’s Elite Championships and Olympic qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The No. 1 seed will meet either Italy’s Irma Testa or Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson — who clash today — on Saturday when she will be three wins away from qualification for August’s Olympics.

The top four (semi-finalists) book Olympic tickets in Astana. If Taylor wins three fights in the Kazakh capital she’ll qualify outright. Five wins will see Taylor claim an historic sixth successive title.