NEW DELHI: IT is official: MC Mary Kom will take on Nikhat Zareen in the final 51kg bout on Saturday for a place in the Indian squad for the Olympic Qualifiers — Asia & Oceania in Wuhan from February 3-14, 2020.In Friday’s bouts at the IG Stadium here, both Nikhat and Mary picked up unanimous victories, though the six-time world champion was made to dig deep by her opponent.
Nikhat made short work of Jyoti Gulia, the reigning national champ. The former junior world champ started slowly but dominated the last two rounds.The boxer from Telangana, however, admitted that there were nerves ahead of the bout. “Of course, I was nervous. I have been waiting for a chance for the last five months. I could not sleep last night, partly due to the pressure and partly thinking of what to have for breakfast!”
She also added that she is pained to see how she is always seen in a bad light by the Boxing Federation of India, the national boxing governing body. “My intention was never to hurt anyone’s feelings. All I wanted is a free and fair trial.”
The 23-year-old was egged on by her father and her childhood coach, Emani Chiranjeevi. The coach revealed what her ward needed to do to best the Rajya Sabha MP. “She can get a bit carried away in the ring if she gets hit or if she misses a punch. If she can keep her emotions in check, anything is possible,” said Chiranjeevi, who started coaching Nikhat when she was 14.
In Mary’s bout, her opponent and silver winner in this year’s nationals Ritu Grewal gave her a good fight but the experienced pugilist ultimately triumphed. Mary was a bit slow to start in the first round and even got hit by a few left jabs. But she outclassed her opponent in the final round. Ritu’s performance did manage to garner applause from the people who had come to watch the day’s proceedings. “Mary was the better boxer and she was the rightful winner. I could have boxed better and maybe, the result could have been different. I was not expecting a unanimous decision but it’s okay,” Ritu said.
Despite the win, Raffaele Bergamasco, performance director of women’s team, was not satisfied with Mary’s display. “She (Mary Kom) won but she was nowhere near her best,” he noted.
Saturday will finally see one of the much-awaited bouts in recent times. The entire fiasco began back in August during the World Championship trials when Nikhat was not allowed to take part in the trials and Mary was selected. The controversy had reached its crescendo after comments from BFI officials, indicating that Mary would be picked again for the Olympic qualifiers.
Nikhat has been fighting her case for a long time now and Saturday will give her the first opportunity to prove herself. “I lost to Mary fair and square during the India Open. I have never said that I’m a better boxer than her. She is a legend and all I want is a fair chance to show that I’m no pushover.”The other bouts went as expected. L Sarita Devi, Simranjit Kaur, and Lovlina Borgohain advanced to the final bouts.
Results
51kg: Nikhat Zareen bt Jyoti Gulia 10-0; MC Mary Kom bt Ritu Grewal 10-0. 57kg: Sakshi Chaudhary bt Manisha Moun 7-3; Sonia Lather bt Sonia Chahal 7-3. 60kg: Simranjit Kaur bt Pavitra 10-0; L Sarita Devi bt Shashi Chopra 9-1. 69kg: Lalita Guleria bt Meena Rani 9-1; Lovlina Borgohain bt Anjali 10-0. 75kg: Pooja Rani bt Indraja 10-0; Nupur bt Saweety Boora 9-1.