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Claressa Shields leads U.S. boxers at world championships

Claressa Shields, shown at the 2012 London Olympics, advanced to the semifinal round of the women's world championships on Friday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
By David Wharton
Staff WriterFollow
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Olympic champion Claressa Shields led a trio of American boxers who clinched medals at the women’s world championships by winning their quarterfinal bouts on Friday.

The 19-year-old Shields took every round against Iaroslava Iakushina of Russia in the middleweight division at Jeju, South Korea.

Reigning world champion Tiara Brown continued her title defense in the featherweight division and Marlen Esparza advanced in the flyweights.

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Three other U.S. boxers fell short in the quarterfinals, with Danyelle Wolf, Heidi Henriksen and Krystal Dixon losing on Friday. Wolf, from San Diego, came up short in a close bout against Elena Vystropova of Azerbaijan.

Russia leads all nations with five boxers remaining in the competition. China has four.

The championships will take a day of rest before resuming with semifinal bouts on Sunday.

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David Wharton

David Wharton has filled an array of roles – covering the courts, entertainment, sports and the second Persian Gulf War – since starting as a Los Angeles Times intern in 1982. His work has been honored by organizations such as the Society for Features Journalism and Associated Press Sports Editors and has been anthologized in “Best American Sports Writing.” He has also been nominated for an Emmy and has written two books, including “Conquest,” an inside look at USC football during the Pete Carroll era.

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