Five-time World champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom said here on Tuesday her next target was to win a medal in the 2012 London Olympics before she quit boxing.
Hours after her arrival from Barbados, Mary Kom said she was in a healthy state of mind and ready to take on the challenges in her quest for the Olympics medal.
“I have to gain some weight to fight in a higher weight category (48-51kg), but that should not be a problem. The competition will be much tougher, but I am not afraid. I have a lot of experience and the mental strength for that,” said the 27-year-old at a press conference here.
On her latest World title, Mary Kom, the mother of twin boys, said her vast experience helped her win the World championship in Bridgetown in a convincing manner.
Relaxed
Mary Kom said there was hardly any pressure on her in this edition of the World championship. “I boxed in a very relaxed manner. This time it (the title triumph) was very easy,” she said.
She profusely thanked her family members, her sponsor Herbalife, the Indian Boxing Federation (IBF), promoters Olympic Gold Quest and IOS and the Manipur government for their support.
The diminutive boxer said she was likely to call it a day after realising her London dreams and focus on her academy in Imphal. “If there is any initiative towards organising professional boxing, like the World Series of Boxing (WSB), then I might chip in too,” she said.
The Secretary-General of the IBF, Col. P.K. Muralidharan Raja, once again hailed the 48kg World champion as ‘Magnificent Mary' and asserted that her feat of five consecutive World titles would not be possible to emulate. “She has achieved everything only because of her sheer will power,” he said.
In recognition of her achievement, the IBF gave Mary Kom a cheque for Rs 1 lakh while her sponsor Herbalife honoured the World champion with a cash award of Rs 2 lakh. The Manipur government has already announced a cash award of Rs 10 lakh.
On Wednesday, Mary Kom will participate in the selection trials at the Talkatora Stadium here after which the Indian women's team would be announced for the Asian Games. The first phase of the trials was held at Bhopal a few days back.
“We want to pick the best team and we do not want anybody to be left out. So, we are holding it for a few boxers. I had asked Mary if she wanted to appear in the trials at a later date, but she said she had no problems,” Col. Raja said.
