Mary Kom rides on experience to outwit North Korean Hyang Mi and storm into 48kg final with shot at history
A decade-and-a-half long international experience came to the rescue of legendary MC Mary Kom on Thursday.
The veteran Indian boxer defeated stronger and taller North Korean opponent, Kim Hyang Mi, in the semifinal with a unanimous 5-0 verdict to inch closer to her sixth World Boxing Championships title here on Thursday.
Mary Kom brought the only cheers for a packed stadium on Thursday, as her other colleague in the 69kg category Lovlina Borgohain lost her bout to Chinese Taipei's Nien-Chin Chen 0-4 to settle for a bronze.
Hyang launched an early attack in the 48kg semifinal contest, taking Mary Kom by surprise. It was probably because of her earlier loss to Indian in the Asian Championship final in 2017 that the North Korean came out better prepared. The five-time world champion took some time to find her feet and was seen avoiding and ducking punches in the first round.
A break before the second round came to Mary Kom's rescue as she reworked her strategy to unsettle Hyang's rhythm. Mary Kom used counter jabs to score some quick points here on. The third round she again used a good mixture of defensive strategy and scoring points on counter attacks.
The 35-year-old Indian looked more exhausted than her younger opponent but managed to pull this one through thanks to her vast experience.
"The last time we met, it was a one-sided bout in the Asian Championships. But she looked to have learnt a lot from that bout. Even I learnt a few things and was better prepared to defend and counter," said Mary Kom.
Mary Kom will now meet Hanna Okhota from Ukraine in the title clash on Saturday. Not to forget that Indian had defeated the Ukrainian in the semi-finals of the Silesian event in Poland in September.
India’s Lovlina Borgohain (blue) is punched by Chen Nien-Chin of Chinese Taipei during their 69kg semifinal on Thursday —AFP
Lovlina no match
On the other hand, it was heartbreak for Assam's 21-year-old Lovlina as she lost a one-sided contest.
During the bout Lovlina got a warning resulting in deduction of a point in the third round for hitting her opponent's back of the head. She appeared to be no match for her superior opponent. She often appeared to be ducking and trying to evade solid right punches from strongly-built Nien-Chin.
Winner of the 75-kg bronze in the last World Championship, Nien-Chin forced Lovlina on the back foot right from the word go. The Indian did try and come back in the second by launching a flurry of punches, but Taipei boxer managed to keep her at bay by keeping a safe distance. "I knew that my opponent was strong. I prepared well but could not execute my gameplan," said Lovlina.
MARY MANIA
- Assured of her seventh World Championships medal, Mary Kom has already entered the history books as the most successful woman pugilist in the event’s history, winning 5 gold and 1 silver medal
- If the five-time world champion wins a gold in the final, she will join the legendary Cuban men’s boxer Felix Savon as the joint most successful pugilist (men and women) in the World Championships’ history. Savon won six gold and one silver at the World Championships held between 1986 and 1989
DID YOU KNOW?
- In the 48kg final bout that is scheduled on Saturday, Mary Kom will take on 22-year-old Hanna Okhota of Ukraine, whom the Indian had beaten earlier this year in a tournament in Poland
Results (Indians only)
5:0 Mary Kom bt Kim Hyang Mi (PRK) in 48kg
0:4 Lovlina Borgohain lost to Chen Nien-Chin (TPE) in 69kg
ACTION TODAY
India’s two other semifinalists, Sonia Chahal and Simranjit Kaur, will enter the ring today for their 57kg and 64kg bouts, respectively. While Sonia will fight Jo Son Hwa of North Korea, Simranjit will take on Duo Dan of China
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