Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom will lock horns with Nikhat Zareen in the 51kg final of the Women’s Boxing Trials for next year’s Olympic qualifiers. Both won their first round matches on Friday in a unanimous decision.
Former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen beat Jyoti Gulia, while multiple-time Asian champion Mary Kom defeated Ritu Grewal in their respective opening round bouts. The two-day competition will end on Saturday, The winner of the final bout will get a ticket to Wuhan, China where the first Olympic qualifiers are scheduled to be held.
Zareen went out on a public outburst a few weeks ago by demanding a trial against six-time world champion MC Mary Kom after the Indian Boxing Federation’s lukewarm attitude over the selection policy for the Olympic qualifier. Mary Kom on the other hand had maintained her poise and had said that she would follow the selection policy decided by of BFI which in the end decided to conduct trials.
The things had taken an ugly turn after BFI President Ajay Singh had announced at an award function that Mary Kom would be selected for the Olympic qualifier without any trial due to her consistent good performance at the international level. Angered by this, Zareen had demanded a fair chance against the world champion boxer who also hapenes to be a Rajya Sabha member.
In other bouts on Friday, world youth gold medalist Sakshi defeated Asian silver medalist Manisha Maun in 57 kg while former national champion Simranjeet Kaur defeated Pavitra in 60 kg. Both results were unanimous. The Olympic qualifiers will be held in China in February next year.
All five classes in women’s boxing – 51 kg, 57 kg, 60 kg, 69 kg and 75 kg – will be decided by trial as no boxer could make it to the finals of the World Championship. The men’s two-day trial will begin in Bellary, Karnataka from Sunday.
