Women's World Boxing Ch’ships | Mary Kom advances into semis, becomes best in tournament’s history

Kom’s performance was as tactful as it could get in the quarterfinal clash against Victoria. The veteran pugilists looked very patient during the entire bout waiting for the perfect chance to unleash her blow as opposed to the South American, who tried to impress the judges with more punches.

Her invaluable experience came in handy, which was very obvious as her right arm swung in brilliant rhythm as they evaded Valencia’s defence effectively and regularly. She won the bout with a unanimous verdict of 5-0.

In the semis, Kom would be facing second-seeded Turk Busenaz Cakiroglu, the reigning European Championships and European Games gold medallist, after a rest day on Friday. This win has also been historical in the sense that she secured her first world medal in the new 51kg category.

Kom has struggled in the 51 kg category in the past and her record in this category in Worlds has been a quarterfinalist at best. However, with her preferred 49kg category not available in the Olympics, she would need to fight in this one.