12th SAG boxing qualifiers
SHILLONG: The likes of MC Mary Kom and L Sarita Devi were tested in the semi final round of the test event and qualifiers for the 12th South Asian Games but nevertheless booked their berth in the final round of the event at the NEHU, SAI Special Area Games here on Thursday.
Others who made the cut were Sarjubala Devi, Soniya, Aruna Mishra and Pooja Rani. While Mary Kom overcame a spirited Nikhit Zareen, Sarita Devi had to adopt a different approach to tame the able Meena Kumari. Aruna Mishra, meanwhile, emerged winner in a bout which had to be decided on the basis of two rounds after a power failure at the NEHU, SAI Special Area Games venue disrupted the game.
Earlier, the tried and tested MC Mary Kom was forced to come out of her comfort zone by the agile Nikhit Zareen who started on an impressive note. However, by the second round Mary was back to her own way of dealing with things. The technique of stepping back and waiting for her opponent to make the move that Mary Kom used to perfection in the last two days was again seen on play and it did work in her favour. The Olympian waited for the right moments and kept nicking points.
The third round started on a rather aggressive note with both boxers trading a jab each but by the end of two minutes, Mary managed to gain upper hand over her young rival. Combining her hooks and jabs, the Asian Games gold medalist tamed her spirited opponent in the fourth round to seal the deal in her favour.
Sarita too had to dig deep to overcome Meena Kumari in the light weight category bout. Usually agile and aggressive from the word go, the five-time Asian champion, Sarita Devi opted for a waiting game in the first two rounds. The third round revealed a glimpse of the real Sarita who launched an offensive, especially rattling her with a couple right hooks. The AIP boxer eventually made the cut.
Power failure embarassment at NEHU SAI venue
The middle weight category bout between Aruna Mishra and Arrti Bhosle ended on a disappointing note for the latter as Mishra was declared winner on the basis of points in the first two rounds.
A power failure for almost an hour halted the bout midway. Though sources blamed confusion on the part of the MeECL for the mess, it was surprising to note that the organizers failed to put in place a back up for such situations.
Haryana’s Pooja Rani, meanwhile, continued her dominant show as she move to the finals of the SAG qualifiers following a technical knockout of her opponent, Monika from RSPB.
In the final bout Mary Kom will play Sarjubala in the fly weight category, Sarita will take on Soniya in the light weight category and Pooja will fight Mishra in the middle weight bout.
Three boxers in as many categories will qualify for the 12th SAG.