Olympics-Boxing-Reigning champions Jalolov, Harrington win, Australia's Teremoana KOs opponent

By Aadi Nair

PARIS (Reuters) -Uzbekistan's Bakhodir Jalolov and Ireland's Kellie Harrington got their boxing title defences off to a flying start with wins at the Paris Games on Monday, while Teremoana Junior's knockout victory gave Australia something to cheer after two early losses.

Asian Games champion Jalolov cruised to a unanimous win over Norway's Omar Shiha to set up a super heavyweight quarter-final clash with Teremoana, who knocked out Ukraine's Dmytro Lovchynskyi in the first round of their bout.

Women's lightweight champion Harrington also had little trouble in her opener as she expertly shut out Italy's Alessia Mesiano with her jab.

"I felt alright out there. I was just trying to implement the tactics given to me from the corner. We had a good plan - and it worked - so it felt good," Harrington said.

"I knew I had fought her before in Belfast. Alessia is a great fighter and you had to give her respect."

Brazil's Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Beatriz Ferreira also won her first lightweight match, beating American Jajaira Gonzalez.

Ferreira's compatriot and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Abner Teixeira was beaten by Ecuador's Gerlon Congo, while Britain suffered more heartbreak as super heavyweight Delicious Orie lost to Armenia's Davit Chaloyan in a controversial 3-2 split decision.

Earlier on Monday, American super heavyweight Joshua Edwards was eliminated by Italy's Diego Lenzi, while Australia's Harry Garside and Tyla McDonald also suffered defeats.

Top seed Edwards, one of the favourites to win a medal in the super heavyweight competition, tried to use his range and keep Lenzi at bay with his jab, but the Italian connected with a couple of powerful right hands in the first two rounds.

Australia, who have the largest boxing contingent at the Games with 12 fighters, got off to a difficult start.

Garside, a Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, fell short against Richard Kovacs after the Hungarian took charge of their lightweight bout in the second round and showed great flair to down the Australian by unanimous decision.

Kovacs next faces Rio Olympic silver medallist Sofiane Oumiha of France, who beat Jordan's Obada Alkasbeh in a fiery exchange in front of a partisan crowd at the North Paris Arena.

In the women's lightweight category, McDonald was also outclassed by her Ecuadorean opponent Maria Jose Palacios, who clinched a unanimous points decision.

In Monday's opening bout, Asian Games champion Yang Wenlu of China comfortably beat Vietnam's Ha Thi Linh.

(Reporting by Aadi Nair; Editing by Alison Williams and Ken Ferris)