Asian Boxing Championship | Mary Kom defeats Diem Thi Trinh Kieu to enter quarters

Mary Kom has made a return to her preferred weight division now after competing in the 51kg category, which has been named as an Olympic category before the 2012 Games. And she started off things on a winning note in the opening round.

Mary Kom took her time to get a measure of her opponent in the initial stages, maintaining the right distance to deny any clear shots, before stepping up her momentum with sharp reflexes. Diem Thi Trinh Kieu, a local favourite, was cheered upon by a partisan crowd and she came to life in the last three minutes.

However, the five-time world champion looked unfazed by it and stepped up her game with some brilliant combination blows throwing her opponent off balance. Kom, a four-time gold medallist at this event, will face Chinese Taipei's Meng-Chieh Ping next, who defeated Thailand's Panpradab Plodsai in her opening bout to advance to the quarters. A total of 107 boxers from 20 countries are competing in the continental meet, where India are placed third on the all-time medals' list with 19 gold, 21 silver, and 20 bronze medals.