‘Desperately need to assess myself before Tokyo,’ Mary Kom awaits Asian ‘slugfest’
With heavyweights China, Japan, North Korea and Vietnam skipping the Asian Boxing Championships, Nazym Kyzaibay is likely to be Mary Kom’s biggest challenge.
Struggling to get some quality ring time since her return from the Boxam meet in Spain in March, Indian boxing legend MC Mary Kom is hoping to make the most at the Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai next week.
Mary Kom is a five-time Asian champion. Her last gold medal at the event came at the 2017 edition in Ho Chi Minh City in the light flyweight (48kg) category. She has since moved to the 51kg category.
But with China, Japan, North Korea and Vietnam withdrawing from the Asian meet owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mary Kom could face a depleted field in Dubai. Kazakhstan’s two-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay is likely to be Indian’s strongest challenger.
Nevertheless, Mary Kom, a six-time world champion, is hoping for a “good slugfest.”
“I have been so eager to compete, there has hardly been any training because of the pandemic and I need this desperately to assess myself before the Olympics,” the 38-year-old Mary Kom told PTI.
The latest edition of the Asian Boxing Championships was initially scheduled to be held in Delhi but was moved to Dubai following the steep rise in COVID cases in India.
The pandemic has not spared the Indian boxers either. While some of the national campers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, others were forced to stop their Olympic preparations midway.
Now training at the Army Institute of Sports (ASI) in Pune, Tokyo-bound Mary Kom is counting on some competitive action in Dubai.
“It has not been easy. I was at home after coming back from the tournament in Spain (in March). My children were not well, we had to manage that and it comes with its own set of anxieties. Then, the camp in Delhi was called off because of COVID,” Mary Kom explained.
“Something or the other kept affecting the training schedule. So the Asian championship is important because I get to compete and there is nothing better than a good competition to help preparations.”
In her last outing at Boxam, which marked Mary Kom’s return to the ring for the first time in a year, the Indian looked rusty. Mary won the opening round against Italy’s Giordana Sorrentino 3:2 and then lost her semi-final match 4:1 to Virginia Fuchs of the USA.
The remaining nine Indian boxers who made it to the semi-finals in their respective categories at Boxam advanced to the finals. Mary Kom settled for a bronze medal.
At the ASI, Mary Kom has been training with two male boxers from the Army and she feels that her preparations are largely on track.
“I feel confident about my body. But as I always say, I will give my best, whether it would be enough to get a medal is something that only time will tell," Mary Kom said.
“Look, how quickly the world has changed and we plan and plan and plan. You never know. It is so important to stay in the present,” the Indian pointed out.