The reigning Olympic and world champion proved far too strong for her unseeded opponent, who was beaten courtesy of a fourth-round TKO.

Rio 2016 quota places are available for the middleweight semi-finalists, but having reached the gold medal match - which she won - at the International Boxing Association (AIBA) American Olympic Qualification Event in Buenos Aires in March, Shields has already secured her ticket.

Meanwhile, in a repeat of the 2012 Women’s World Championship middleweight final in Chinese city Qinhuangdao, Great Britain’s Savannah Marshall beat Azerbaijan’s Elena Vystropova by unanimous decision.

"I had a very strong opponent in the first round but this was not our first contest so her style was not a surprise for me today," said Marshall.

"I am satisfied and it feels good to get the first one out of the way."

Also at middleweight, an extremely tight contest was played out between Panamanian fifth seed Atheyna Byion and Brazil’s Andreia Bandeira with all four judges scoring the match equally before eventually awarding the bout to the latter.

Morocco’s Khadija Mardi, winner of the AIBA African Olympic Qualifying Event in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé in March, dominated her bout with Ireland’s Christine Desmond thanks to countless long-range attacks. 

In the pick of the afternoon session's bantamweight bouts, Britain’s Lisa Jane Whiteside recorded a unanimous points win over Ukraine’s Snizhana Kholodkova.

Victory sets up a second-round contest against Bulgaria’s Stoyka Petrova, who overcame Turkey’s Busenaz Cakiroglu.

American Stalacia Leggett beat Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang to earn a showdown with Italian top seed Alessia Mesiano of Italy. 

This was followed by a fourth-round TKO victory for Australian featherweight Anja Stridsman against Croatia’s Sara Beram.

"I’m pretty satisfied with my performance," said Stridsman after her bout.

"It’s good to get the first fight out of the way and feel what it’s like in there.

"She had a pretty awkward style so I tried to be patient, stay long off the jab and not rush into anything.

"I think I gained control of the rounds from the start but definitely felt more and more confident as the fight went on and I got used to her style."

The biggest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for the first appearance of a Kazakh team member, however, as light welterweight Zarina Tsoloyeva delivered a solid win over Vietnam’s Thi Linh Ha.

Tsoloyeva will now meet top seed Valentina Alberti of Italy in the second round.

Tomorrow’s action sees British Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams begin her latest attempt to win a first world title against Dilnozakhon Odiljonova of Uzbekistan.

Ireland's five-time world champion Katie Taylor faces Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson, knowing that a place in the semi-finals will finally secure her a crucial Rio 2016 berth. 

To read our live blog from the second day's action click here.