Cheers and tears as women make debut

LONDON (Reuters) - Women's finest boxers threw ferocious punches in the ring and shed tears outside it as they brought an end to the last all-male sport at the Olympics in front of a packed crowd that quickly warmed to their presence.

Russia's Elena Savelyeva and North Korea's Kim Hye-song were given a hearty welcome in London by an intrigued audience on Sunday who eleven fights later rated the women as good as the men, putting pay to their rejection in the past because of a perceived lack of global interest.