Five-time world champion M. C. Mary Kom advanced to the finals while Shiva Thapa and Manoj Kumar settled for bronze medals after semi-final losses in the India Open boxing tournament here on Wednesday.
Seeded 12th, Mary Kom (49kg) was up against gritty Mongolian Altansetseg Lutsaikhan. But Mary Kom gained the upper hand with her aggressive approach in the first two rounds. The Manipur boxer appeared tired in the final three minutes but managed to connect just enough blows to come up trumps.Mary Kom will now face Philippine’s Josie Gabuco, who sent the local favourite Monika packing after dishing out a dominant performance in that match.Meanwhile, there was a major upset in the men’s draw when world and Asian medallist Shiva (60kg), seeded top in his category, went down in a unanimous verdict to Manish Kaushik.
