Packing a punch: A month to cherish for Indian Boxing
November was indeed a great month for Indian Boxing as two of the country's most successful boxers made their country proud by their remarkable achievements. While Mary Kom won a record-breaking sixth World Championship title, Vijender Singh took another leap in his professional career.
Magnificent Mary breaks all time record
Mary Kom claimed her sixth gold medal at the AIBA World Championships and eclipsed Ireland's Katie Taylor as the most prolific boxer in the women's arena.
The 35-year old, who is the mother of three children, has sealed her legacy in the annals of women's boxing. The determination and passion she puts in every match has been quite breathtaking. And she is not done yet.
When everyone thought it would be her last fight representing India, the veteran boxer after her historic win revealed that she has set her sights on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Mary said ”The next step is to start preparing for Olympic qualification. I will need to change my weight category, and as a result, the training and diet will also completely change”.
Age will remain just another number for this champions boxer. Mary's passion towards her sport and dream to make her country proud every time she steps into the ring will remain forever.
And that is the reason, she is proudly called 'Magnificent Mary'.
Vijender Singh signs multi-year contract with Top Rank
When he turned Pro in 2015, Vijender Singh expressed his ambition of becoming the next Manny Pacquiao. Not many took him seriously then. There were many who didn’t support his decision of going into Pro Boxing as he was one of India's medal contenders for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Back then, Vijender said, "Just like how Pacquiao carried the Phillipines flag and (Floyd) Mayweather Jr carried the US flag to their bout, I will carry the Indian flag to my bouts. I've taken Indian boxing to a new, untested level and opened international avenues for our boxers."
Those were not just mere words but a deep desire to see India compete among the best of countries in the boxing arena. From a 10-0 undefeated streak to being the current WBO Oriental and WBO Asia Pacific Champion in the Super Middleweight Category, he has indeed proven his critics wrong.
Now, Vijender has taken his dream to the next level by signing a multi-year contract with Top Rank. For all those who are not aware, Top Rank is one of the biggest boxing promotional organisations who has worked with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao.
At 33 and having a path much clearer towards his final goal, we can surely expect greater things from Vijender in the coming years.