At the end of her bouts, Mary Kom usually bows to the crowd, one hand in the air. That is her customary celebration after a win and a gesture to thank the crowd. After every win, she would walk out of the ring with a smile on her face. On one occasion, she even tapped her feet to the music beats inside the stadium.
But Saturday was different.
It was not as if Mary did not win or the crowd was not loud. It was different because she did not celebrate in her customary style and neither did she just walk way after the bout was done. The 35-year-old, mother of three, celebrated her win with tears in her eyes, with the three coaches in the corner. She sobbed as they tried to calm her down. The crowd continued chanting her name.
These were tears of joy as Mary Kom became the first woman boxer to win six world championship titles. Only Cuba’s Felix Savon in the men’s heavyweight division has won as many Worlds titles.
“What a boxer she is. I am falling short of adjectives,” coach Chhote Lal Yadav said. “She cried because of the home crowd. There is so much emotion and she always wants to win for India. Today she said, ‘Mere se control nahi ho pa raha tha (I couldn’t control it today).’”.
For a boxer who began in 2001 at the inaugural world championships and finished with a silver medal there, it is more than a dream to win six gold medals since that second-placed finish. Over the years, she has fought the system, come back after giving birth, twice, and shifted weight categories. But here she is, still standing as the best boxer in the 48-kg category.
Mary understands this as well, for the opponents have changed and the younger boxers are sharper and intelligent but she has outboxed them all. “I have fought with taller and stronger girls and that has made me better,” she said. “They are sharp and intelligent but I keep in mind that I am experienced.”
En route to becoming a six-time world champion, Mary has defeated boxers at least a decade younger to her. For instance, the first boxer Mary fought in Delhi, from Kazakhstan, was 22, while her quarter-final was against a 23-year-old Chinese opponent. Even in the final, she beat 22-year-old Hanna Okhota of Ukraine by a unanimous points decision.
Mary reflected on her record title in her own way. “I have won so much. Koi nahi kiya. That Ireland girl also won five gold medals but she did not win continuously, I did. And if I had to not change the weight categories, I don’t know how many more I would have won.”
Indeed, she would have won more if she had remained in the 48-kg category. After winning her fifth title in 2010, Mary moved up a category to 51 kg to qualify for London Olympics. She won a bronze there.
“Mary’s whole life is boxing and that is why I think she will never quit,” said Bulgaria’s Stoyka Petrova. The 33-year-old has won a silver medal in the 54-kg division but that will be her last as she hangs up her gloves.
“Just beautiful boxing,” she said. “When you see that you can identify a boxer as different. That is how I first met her and we have since been friends. It’s one of the reasons I like to be friends with her.”
There is fan-following as well. The Mongolian team wants a few pictures with the world champion and she obliges. Same with the North Korean team. The Philippines team told her in the morning that “they are praying for her”. Mary just smiles.
Inside the ring, she may not be the same. She will be using her experience to all effects and will beat you with her speed.
USA Boxing coach Billy Walsh has seen Mary for long. “She has been a legend and continues to be for the sport,” he said. “She took up boxing when women’s boxing was nothing. Maybe it was not even accepted in India. So it’s great.”
Walsh, responsible for the success of Ireland boxing at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, has seen Mary box over the years. Not only does he praise the Indian boxer outside the ring but he also believes that there is little she gives away inside of it.
“She breaks you as an opponent,” he said. “Like you are trying to win against her but she swamps you and there is no way you can break her. It’s demoralising for a boxer.”
There is no stopping Mary now though. “I’ll stop when I lose,” she said. “With experience I think it has become easier. I had power in the earlier phase of my career but now I am handling it better. I have said this before that if I keep training, I may lose but I won’t go down without a fight.”
As India coach Rafaele Bergamasco puts it, “There’s no real competition for Mary. The only real opponent for Mary is Mary. She isn’t winning because she is more experienced. There are a lot of boxers who have as much experience as her. This is because of her talent.”
For the three other Indian medallists at the world championships, it’s a chance to prove that this was a big breakthrough for them. But can they match Mary’s feats? She has a simple explanation.
“Winning a medal at World Championships is not easy,” Mary said. “They are young but trying their best. I have experience but everyone wants to win. They have less experience and exposure. They may not be mentally strong so will learn slowly.”
With the gold, a silver and two bronze, India matched their 2008 finish in terms of medals won but the gold medallist is the same. Can India produce another Mary?
“Everyone wants to be a player like me but that’s not possible. Mere jaisa fir thodi koi paida hoga (No one like me will ever be born).”