Ulan-Ude (Russia): Six-time champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) on Tuesday advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Women’s Boxing Championships after a hard-fought victory in the last-16 stage here.
The 36-year-old Mary Kom triumphed 5-0 against Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong, a spunky boxer who kept the veteran on her toes with an aggressive approach but just didn’t connect enough. The third-seeded Indian, who got a bye in the opening round, spent the first three minutes getting a good measure of her opponent before taking control of the proceedings.
Chasing her first world medal in the 51kg division, Mary Kom picked up pace in the second round and was especially sharp with her counter-attacks. In the 75kg division, former silver-medallist Saweety Boora (75kg) will square off against second-seeded Welshwoman Lauren Price later in the day. Price is a European Games gold-medallist and fetched a bronze in the last edition of the world showpiece. She is also the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, besides being a three-time bronze-medallist at the European Championships.