Upset Mary Kom on Thursday asked her opponent Nikhat Zareen to prove herself in the ring instead of making irritating comments after defeating her to enter the finals of the 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament in Guwahati.
Kom entered the final of the 51kg category with a 4:1 win over Nikhat
Six-time world champion Kom's reaction came when she heard former world junior champion Nikhat commenting in the media that she was excited to take on her 'idol' and she would “put up a strong fight by using her brain” in the India Open 51kg semi-finals. The celebrated Manipuri boxer won on Thursday and replied, “Every bout is a new experience for me. Even I don't know who this girl is. I've been fighting since many years now. I clearly want to say I don't want all this. It has come out in the newspapers that she's challenging me.”
“It is better to say that in a good way. They are so lucky to be fighting with me. They will get a lot of experience that way. I have been competing for the country for a long time. How many times have I proved myself?"
“I was so surprised when I saw in the newspapers , you know. It is sometimes so irritating. Speaking out is very easy. First, I was thinking ‘you prove inside the ring, then speak’,” she continued.
22-year-old Nikhat is a gold medal winner at the Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria earlier this year
After entering the semi-finals, the much younger pugilist Nikhat said, “My main bout is the semi-final against my inspiration Mary Kom. I promise you, I’m not going to give less than 100 percent in the bout. So, I hope this bout will be the best in the competition.”
READ:What Makes Mary Kom’s Life So Inspirational, Every Single Day
Kom further added, “She has won just one medal at the international level and such is her ego and attitude! They feel proud and satisfied. This is a very bad habit.”
The 36-year-old Kom slammed her when told that Nikhat considered her as her idol. She said, “Why they challenge me then? Idol means you have to show respect, talk with respect.” She added, “How can she speak like that? I have already achieved a lot. I have been fighting for almost 20 years with a lot of hard work and from the bottom of my heart.”
Late last year Kom created history by grabbing her sixth world championship title. She is an Olympic silver medallist and an Asian Games gold medal winner. The 36-year-old has surpassed Katie Taylor’s tally of five world titles and equalled Cuba’s Felix Savon as the most successful boxer (men and women’s boxing combined) in the history of World Championships. No other woman boxer has done it before.
She is looking forward to her 2020 Olympic dream, and her punches are becoming stronger than ever.
Feature Image Credit: thetraveltrunk.in
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