Mary Kom's Olympic gold quest begins today

Karolina Michalczuk would have kneeled in front of her bed, with folded hands, eyes closed and said her Three Hail Mary’s before going to bed, like every other night, yesterday.

She will need the Virgin Mary to pray for her when she meets MC Mary Kom today in the ring.

Karolina’s opponent is ranked above her in the International Boxing association women’s flyweight (51kg) rankings.

Maybe she wouldn’t like it when she hears that Mary Kom had to move up in the weight category from light flyweight (48kg) – it wasn’t included in the Olympics – and still be ranked fourth.

“I have won my world championships in 46 and 48kg. These weight categories are not in Asian or Olympic Games. Boxing was introduced in Asian Games only in 2010 and there I got a bronze in 51kg,” Mary Kom said.

As part of the BBC’s Olympics Boxing preview, Mary Kom in her interview said she wouldn’t want to hurt her “cute” opponents and would often apologise after the bout, if they are bleeding or injured.

Karolina is far from cute, that is not for me to judge, but with her boyish haircut and Hilary Swank like features from the Million Dollar Baby, Mary Kom wouldn’t have to apologise for a broken nose.

Mary Kom is like a humming bird with gloves. Her lightning strike punches would rain on any opponent, on any day in the ring. More than often her final score in bouts are almost equal to the odds offered by a dealer against her defeat. Borrowing from Mohammed Ali, she doesn’t quite fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee, but her punches bite like a saber-toothed cat.

In her bid to become India’s first Women Olympic gold medalist, Kom has just four bouts to win.

“I am told if I win two bouts I will be winning a medal. I am not taking things lightly. I am focused because like me, my opponents must also have their plans and strategies, let us not forget that,” she said.

Between Kom and the gold, there are five Women boxers, who are in the top five rankings of the world.

Her first real test will be in the Semi-finals, if she manages to get that far in the competition. Kom might face, local favourite and world number two, Nicola Adams in the quarter-final.

Mary Kom nearly missed Olympic qualification after she lost to Adams in quarters at the Women’s World Championship. She needed Adams to win her Semi-final bout against third ranked, Elena Savelyeva of Russia which she eventually won.

Ren Cancan of China might be her possible opponent in the final.

^G.L