Taiwan's Chen, Huang clinch World Boxing Championships semifinal berths

Taipei, Sept. 11 (CNA) Taiwan's Olympic medalists Chen Nien-chin (陳念琴) and Huang Hsiao-wen (黃筱雯) advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 World Boxing Championships after winning their quarterfinal bouts in Liverpool, England, on Wednesday.

The tournament serves as the new international federation World Boxing's version of the world championships.

Chen defeated Kinga Krowka of Poland 4-1 in the women's 65kg division, avenging her loss to the Polish boxer in the World Boxing Cup semifinal in Brazil in early April, while Huang beat Mexico's Ariadna Jeanette Gil by unanimous decision in the women's 54kg event.

The victories ensure Chen and Huang -- Olympic bronze medalists at the Paris and Tokyo Games respectively -- at least a bronze medal regardless of the results of their next bouts.

Huang burst into tears after learning of her victory, as it secured her first medal of the year.

"We've both been under great pressure recently because Hsiao-wen hadn't won a medal this year, and I became more solemn as a result," Huang's coach Liu Tsung-tai (劉宗泰) told CNA.

"It hasn't been easy for her these days. She worked really hard for the championships, and now we both feel relieved of a huge burden," he said.

Meanwhile, the two other Taiwanese female boxers -- Wu Shih-yi (吳詩儀), who took bronze in the women's 60kg division at the Paris Games, and Guo Yi-xuan (郭怡萱) -- were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 57kg and 51kg categories, respectively.

The ongoing tournament is the inaugural edition of World Boxing's elite-level global championships, representing the largest Olympic-style boxing event in England since the 2012 London Olympics, according to the organizers.

It runs through Sunday at the M&S Bank Arena, with 540 boxers from 66 national federations competing across 20 weight classes in men's and women's events.