Mary Kom wins Bronze at World Boxing championships

Six-time champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) on Saturday settled for a bronze medal in the World Women’s Boxing Championships after losing to Turkey’s Busenaz Cakiroglu in an intense semifinal bout inRussia.

Mary Kom, seeded third, lost 1-4 to second seed Cakiroglu, who is the reigning European Championships and European Games gold-medallist.

The Indian contingent sought a review of the decision but the appeal was turned down by the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) technical committee.

“How and why. Let the world know how much right and wrong the decision is,” Mary Kom later tweeted expressing her anguish at the loss.

Both the boxers seemed hesitant to make the first move in the opening round but Mary Kom had the edge in counter-attacks as Cakiroglu struggled to make her height advantage count.

The second round followed a similar pattern as far as the tactics went and although it was close, the judges ruled in the Turk’s favour in a split call.

In the final three minutes, both the boxers upped the ante but Cakiroglu got the judges’ nod.

“Mary fought exceptionally well and should have won the bout. We are still quite stunned that the decision did not go in her favour,” India’s assistant coach and Mary Kom’s trainer Chhote Lal Yadav told PTI.

Despite this loss, it was a stupendous campaign for the 36-year-old Mary Kom and added to her long list of accomplishments. This bronze is her first world medal in the 51kg category.