Mary Kom from India has advanced to the quarter-finals of 2017 Asian Women's Boxing Championship in Vietnam on November 2, Thursday.
In the opening round of light flyweight (48kg) category, the 34-year-old defeated Vietnam's Diem Thi Trinh Kieu by 4-1 verdict. Another Indian boxer Shiksha dominated the ring game in the 54-kg category and defeated Mongolia's Oyun-Erdene Nergui by 5-0.
The four-time gold medalist of Asian Women's Boxing Championship Mary Kom was last featured in 2012 when she achieved her last gold medal in this competition. But she returned to the international boxing ring after more than a year's break.
In the first round there were no such jaw-dropping actions as Mary and her opponent both maintained a distance. However, in the second round, the Indian veteran showed her sharp and clear shots to defeat Diem.
During the final minutes, Diem tried her best to take over the battle but it was Mary who showed her experience to swiftly move through to the quarter-finals.
"I might have been a little nervous initially. But once I stepped into the ring, it was all gone. It was a good victory and a very sweet one too as I was making a comeback after a long time," said Mary after the bout.
"She is a good boxer and I had to be at the top of my game to beat her. The journey began on a good note for me and I hope that I continue my run," she further added.
Mary who was nicknamed as Magnificent Mary will be facing Chinese Taipei's Meng-Chieh Ping in the quarter-final round and makes sure that she achieves the fifth gold medal in the finals of Asian Boxing Championship.
However, her opponent for the quarter-final Meng-Chieh had defeated Thailand's Panpradab Plodsai in her opening match.
In the Asian Boxing Championship,107 boxers participated from 20 countries. India by far has 19 gold, 21 silver and 20 bronze medals.
