Indian Boxer Mary Kom leads Punjab Panthers to second straight win

Indian superstar boxer Mary Kom won her match in a dominating fashion as Punjab Panthers picked up their second successive victory in the big bout Indian boxing league by beating Bombay Bullets 5-2 in Greater Noida on Thursday.

Mary Kom won by a unanimous decision against Ingrid Lorena Valencia, who is a Bronze medal winner at the 2016 Olympic games. Manoj Kumar’s defeat at the hands of Bombay Bullets’ Naveen Boora in the 69kg bout of the night meant that the two captains stepped into the ring with much more than academic interest remained in the match.

However, Mary Kom did more than enough to impress the judges in each of three rounds to beat the Colombian as she did in the World Championships last year.

Abdulmalik Khalakov, who is a champion of Uzbekistan’s Youth Olympic Games and PL Prasad, had given Punjab Panthers a head start after an impressive bout.

Khalakov held sway in the 57kg bout against Asian silver medalist Kavinder Singh Bisht. The 19- year old dodged a dangerous left hook and in return, landed a left straight smack on the Bombay Bullets boxer’s face to enforce a standing count in the second round to seal a win.

Prasad, on the other hand, suffered a reverse on the opening night, redeeming himself by using his speed to counter Anant Chopade’s longer reach.

Manisha standing in for Sonia Lather, who is on national duty in the South Asian Games in Kathmandu, maintained the momentum with a facile win against Spaniard Melissa Noemi Gonzalez in the women’s 60kg.

Mary Kom sealed the match in Punjab Panther’s favor, and Naveen Kumar edged out a 3-2 verdict against Spaniard Emmanuel Reyas in the 91kg bout before Bombay’s Bullet gained another consolation win through Prayag Chauhan who beat the 18-year old Mohit in the 75kg fight through a split decision.

Written by: Olumide Akinnifesi