Great Britain’s Nicola Adams dashed M C Mary Kom’s hopes of making it to finals as she outclassed iconic Indian pugilist 11-6 in the women’s flyweight (51kg) semi-final here today, leaving her to settle for a bronze.
The five-time world champion was no match for her British opponent who was egged on by a vociferous home crowd that included Prime Minister David Cameron and last edition’s silver medallist Aamir Khan.
It was Mary’s 5ft 2 inches frame that became her undoing as Nicola used her big body and greater reach to a good effect, landing punches from a distance and then also staying out of her opponent’s reach.
The first round was 3-1 in favour of Nicola better known as “Babyface” in the boxing fraternity. The second round saw Nicola land a lethal right hook followed by a powerful straight left which caught Mary off-guard. Three more points and consolidating the lead at 5-2, it became very difficult for the Indian to come back.
The penultimate round saw a desperate Mary trying to make a comeback but Nicola evaded the ‘pint-sized’ Indian dynamo as she couldn’t land a few decisive blows that could have turned the tide. The round was 3-2 in favour of the British and decisive lead of 8-4.
The final round was all about how the British boxer would keep Mary Kom at bay and she did that effectively tiring the Manipuri girl, who out of frustration landed a couple of blows at the back of her opponent’s head.
An 11-6 result may depict that there was some fight but it was crystal clear that the two-time World Championship runner-up was an emphatic winner.
However, a bronze is certainly a great effort from ’Magnificent Mary”, whose name would be etched in the history of Indian sports as she will certainly remain the first among equals as far as women’s boxing is concerned.