Cavan BC flyweight Ceire Smith got Ireland off to a winning start at the 7th AIBA World Women's Championships with a third round stoppage of Veglina Svetlana of Tajikistan in Qinhuangdao, China today.
But Dublin middleweight Sinead Kavanagh (Drimnagh BC) is out of the tournament after losing out 23-19 to Francelis Paez Carmona of Venezuela at the Olympic Stadium in Qinhuangdao.
Smith dominated from the opening bell and forced Svetlana into standing counts in rounds one, two and three before the ref stopped the contest 1.28 into the third with Smith 16-4.
The Irish elite champion will now meet Sarah-Joy Irish Rae of Jamaica in the last-32 tomorrow.
Kavanagh was 18-15 down going into the fourth and final round with Carmona, a frame which the Venezuelan fighter won 5-4 to seal a 23-19 decision.
Meanwhile, Bray BC lightweight Katie Taylor will face Rim Jouini of Tunisia in the last-32 on Monday morning (Irish time).
Jouini, who claimed a bronze medal at featherweight (57kg) at the 2010 AIBA World Women's Championships in Barbados, where Taylor won her third gold medal in-a-row, beat Juliana da Rocha Canedo of Portugal 16-8 today.
The 7th AIBA World Women's Championships is also acting as the only Olympic qualifier for female boxers.
The three Olympic weight categories for women are flyweight, lightweight and middleweight.
Women's senior bouts are contested over four, two minute rounds.
