Confident MC Mary Kom eyes glory in her 51kg debut at India Open

Mary Kom

Ready to swing her fist hard in the ring, 2012 London Olympic bronze medalist MC Mary Kom will make her competitive 51kg debut in the second edition of the India Open boxing tournament, starting here today.

While Mary Kom leads the Indian contingent, around 200 pugilists from 16 boxing powerhouses like Italy, Poland, Argentina, Thailand will be vying for glory in the five-day global sporting event to be held at the Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium.

Along with Indian boxers, Asian Games gold medalist Baturov Bobo, Asian Games champion Mirzakhalilov Mirazizbek, two-time World Championships medallist Jasurbek Latipov of Uzbekistan, Youth Olympic champion Brian Agustin Arregui of Argentina, World and reigning Asian champion, Josie Gabuco of Philippines are going to put up a tough fight as well.

After reaching the city on Saturday, Mary Kom has been busy training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex in Paltan Bazar here. "The expectations are high. I have been training well and will give my 100 per cent to make my country proud. A change is always good and I feel more confident in the 51kg after the last few months of rigorous training," said Mary Kom, who had won the Olympic bronze in 48kg category in 2012.

The Indian men's squad will be led by Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (52kg). The 2017 World Boxing Championships bronze medalist Gaurav Bidhuri (56kg) too will be India's big medal hopes this time.

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