Teresa Perozzi's bid for World Amateur Boxing Championship glory began late last night when she took on China's Guo Shuai in Pennsylvania.

Perozzi, who only began boxing when asked if she would appear at a local fight night as an 11th hour stand-in, has been sanctioned by the Bermuda Amateur Boxing Association for the first-ever event of its kind for women which is taking place in Scranton all this week.

She is fighting in the 165lb category - a division that, as well as her Chinese opponent, also includes Russia's Svetlana Andreeva, Carmen Constantin of Romania, Canada's Angela Josipovic, Anita Ducza of Hungary, Anna Laurell of Sweden and Robyn Labuda of the USA.

More than 180 athletes from 30 countries are competing in the long-awaited event featuring the best female boxing talent in the world.

The World Championships mark the third international women's boxing event that Scranton has hosted. The first-ever US women's international competition, an outdoor event pitting the US against Canada took place in 1998 at Lackawanna County Stadium.

In October, the 2001 Women's Continental Championships were held in Scranton as a prelude to the World Championships.

The holding of a world championship is a huge step toward Olympic inclusion.

The International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and USA Boxing believe a successful Women's World Championship will aid in the sport's bid to become an Olympic sport.