KEY POINTS:
New Zealand welterweight Joe Blackbourn has reached the medal rounds of the Commonwealth boxing championships in Liverpool, England.
Blackbourn beat Indian opponent Suresh Kumar via a second-round stoppage in their quarter-final yesterday. Blackbourn was 4-3 up on points after the opening round but took advantage of Kumar's weakness against the jab early in the second. One blow caused considerable bleeding from the Indian's nose and a doctor ruled he couldn't continue.
The Hutt Valley fighter faces a daunting semifinal, against impressive Englishman Billy Joe Saunders.
