Dubai: Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) signed off with a silver medal in the Asian Boxing Championships after going down in an intense final against Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan here on Sunday.
Mary Kom lost in a split 2-3 verdict. It was her seventh medal in the tournament, the first being a gold that came way back in the 2003 edition.
Up against an opponent 11 years younger to her, the 38-year-old made an impressive start and clinched the opening round comfortably by relying on her sharp counter-attacks. The intensity picked up in the second round and both the boxers showed aggressive intent. The Kazakh drew level at this point with her jabs landing perfectly.
Mary Kom fought back in the final three minutes but that was not enough to get the judges’ nod. The Manipuri legend also won a prize money of USD 5,000 for her campaign, while Kyzaibay was richer by USD 10,000.
Kyzaibay is a two-time world champion and a six-time national champion.
On Monday, Amit Panghal (52kg), Shiva Thapa (64kg) and Sanjeet (91kg) will fight it out in the men’s finals.
Panghal will square off against reigning Olympic and world champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan. It will be a repeat of the 2019 world championship final in which the Indian had lost to settle for silver.
Thapa will be up against Mongolia’s Baatarsukh Chinzorig, who is the Asian Games silver-medallist.
Sanjeet will take on Kazakh legend Vassiliy Levit, who is chasing his fourth gold at the continental showpiece.
Eight other Indians — the Olympic-bound trio of Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), and Jaismine (57kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (64kg), Monika (48kg), Saweety (81kg) and Varinder Singh (60kg) — secured bronze medals after semifinal losses.
They also got a prize money of USD 2,500 each for their third-place finishes.