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The lightweight semifinalists are set, and all of this afternoon's winners in London are guaranteed at least bronze in the 2012 Olympics. Here are the results from this afternoon.
[ Women's Results: Quarterfinals ]
Vasyl Lomachenko (Ukraine) def. Felix Verdejo (Puerto Rico), 14-9: Lomachenko was Lomachenko here, and Verdejo looks like a major talent at 19, hanging in with the best amateur fighter on earth. Lomachenko nicked the first two rounds, 5-3 and 5-4, and then played some nifty defense in the third round to take it home. But don't forget Verdejo. This is a name to remember.
Yasnier Toledo (Cuba) def. Gani Zhailaouv (Kazakhstan), 19-11: Toledo just a level above here. Of all the Cubans, he seems pound-for-pound the lightest puncher, the most stereotypically "amateur." He's very talented, highly-skilled, and he could be at least a little trouble for Lomachenko, no doubt about that. They've met before, with Lomachenko winning in last year's World finals in Baku.
Evaldas Petrauskas (Lithuania) def. Domenico Valentino (Italy), 16-14: YES! YES! 20-year-old Petrauskas, the rampaging bull that he is, bullied Valentino and nicked the win, and Valentino received +4 from warnings, too. Watching Petrauskas has been one of the simple joys of the Olympics. I love this guy. I'll tell you, it's not that I'm totally rooting against anyone (well, a few guys at this point), but I'm definitely rooting for Petrauskas. He's a relentless little tank.
Soonchul Han (South Korea) vs Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (Uzbekistan), 16-13: I wonder how many had Petrauskas vs Han as the semifinal after the draw? Both have knocked off top seeds and just plain fought their way here. Han won this won with a nice performance, nothing more and nothing less. He was the better boxer.