Displaying solid aggression from the start, national champion V Harikrishnan cruised into the second round in the 12th World amateur boxing championship in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 22-year-old pugilist from Chennai beat Chiang Tzu-wei of Taiwan, the referee stopping the contest in the first round, in the light-welterweight (64 kg) class.

Harikrishna had reached the quarter-finals in the Junior world championships in 2000.

In another first round bout, in the flyweight (51 kg) category, India's [ Images ] Akhil Kumar [ Images ], also of Railways, went down to Georgy Balakshin of Russia [ Images ] 16-26.

The two other Indians in the fray are Commonwealth Games [ Images ] champion Mohammad Ali Qamar, in the light flyweight, and former Asian championship bronze medal winner, Ramanand.

UNI

Also read: India hails its own Ali after Games triumph