Vijender assures India of first world boxing medal

CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - Olympic medalist Vijender Kumar has assured India of its first men's world championship boxing medal.

The middleweight beat Sergiy Derevyanchenko of Ukraine 12:4 on points in Milan in the 75-kg category quarter-finals on Wednesday to guarantee at least a bronze.

"It is indeed exhilarating to have had the honor of breaking two barriers consecutively for India in boxing," Vijender said in a statement issued Thursday.

The 23-year-old Vijender won India their first Olympic boxing medal in Beijing last year with a bronze performance and was awarded his country's highest sporting prize for that achievement. The top seed will next meet Uzbek Abbos Atoev in the semi-finals Friday.

(Reporting by Sanjay Rajan; Editing by Ossian Shine)