India's Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom personifies one of the most iconic Muhammad Ali quotes: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” She is feisty and fearless inside the ring and a caring, soft-spoken mother outside it. She has always been unique and unassuming. On Saturday, she has proven herself once again.
The 35-year-old, mother of three, punched her way into the record books by becoming the first-ever woman boxer to amass an incredible six world titles under her belt. The ageless wonder woman from India's north-eastern state of Manipur overpowered Ukraine's Hanna Okhota in a unanimous 5-0 verdict in the 48kg category final of the AIBA World Women's Boxing Championships in Delhi, which also saw four Chinese boxers – Dou Dan (64kg), Li Qian (75kg), Wang Lina (81kg) and Yang Xiaoli (81+ kg) – winning the gold medal in four out of the 10 different categories.
MC Mary Kom (Blue) in action against Ukrainian boxer Hanna Okhota in the final of Women's 45-48 kg category during AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships 2018, at IG Stadium, New Delhi. /VCG Photo
No woman boxer before the diminutive Indian had achieved that incredible feat. Only Cuban Olympic legend and famous male boxer Felix Savon accomplished the unthinkable before Mary Kom with six gold medals and one silver in his envious kitty.
“If you see my bouts in the initial seven years of my career and now, you will see a lot of difference. Earlier, I was like a bullfighter. I was always charging and I would be totally tired and could not even raise my hand after the fight,” the pugilist told Indian news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) after bagging the record sixth gold in the showpiece finale in the Indian capital.
She added, “Now, I am smarter and try to find out the game of my opponent and then think out mine in the ring itself. Nowadays, it is not that tiring, also unlike when I was younger.”
MC Mary Kom (Blue) after winning her bout against Ukrainian boxer Hanna Okhota in the Women's 45-48 kg category final of the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships 2018. /VCG Photo
The gritty girl, whose unthinkable rags-to-riches story was made into an eponymous Bollywood blockbuster and her character was portrayed by former Miss World and popular Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, has always punched above her weight.
She won her first World Championships medal – a silver – at the inaugural edition in 2001 before going on to win five golds on a trot in the next five editions –2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010. The record haul helped her eclipse one of the most successful women boxers, Katie Taylor of Ireland, who won five golds and a bronze between 2006 and 2016 in 60kg.
Quite interestingly, the former Asian Games gold medalist took part in the higher weight category of 51kg after the introduction of women's boxing in the 2012 London Olympics as her pet 48kg Light Fly category wasn't part of the event. Even though she had to increase her body weight and had to fight against much taller and stronger opponents, Mary Kom did manage to win India's first-ever medal – a bronze – after going down fighting against eventual winner Nicola Adams in women's boxing in London.
However, a series of injuries and poor form almost pushed her into the oblivion as she failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics. In the same year, she was nominated to the upper house of the Indian Parliament. But the fighter, popularly known as ‘Magnificent Mary,' broke the shackles once again in her life, embracing the unthinkable challenges and overcoming the insurmountable oddities.
With age almost catching up and her career post-30 almost looking bleak, she came out of the perplexities of politics and resigned as a member of parliament in order to return to the ring one more time. There was no looking back since then and the rest, as they say, is history.