Indian Boxing Legend Mary Kom has made a big statement that she has not retired from Boxing yet and was misquoted. The pugilist has quashed the media reports which claimed that she has hung her boots from the sport.
"I haven’t announced retirement yet and I have been misquoted. I will personally come in front of the media whenever I want to announce it. I have gone through some media reports stating that I have announced retirement and this is not true," Mary Kom said as quoted by ANI.
Media reports quoted the Indian pugilist at an event in Dibrugarh of announcing her retirement from the sport but she has clarified her statement. "I was attending a school event in Dibrugarh on 24 January 2024 wherein I was motivating children and I said “I still have hunger of achieving in sports but the age limit in Olympics doesn’t allow me to participate though I can carry on with my sport. I am still focusing on my fitness and whenever I will announce retirement I will inform everyone," Mary Kom added.
Media reports cited that she has retired and would do something related to boxing. "If I say from my heart, I am still hungry to do something. I still want to compete and represent the country. But I am not being able to compete this year because of the age limit.
"But I will still try to do something relating to boxing. (I) May go to pro but don't know yet what I will do. I still have the spirit to play one to two years or even four years. I could not compete this year due to the age bar, I missed a lot of competitions. I had a major injury, an ACL and after recovery, I missed a lot of competitions like Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships," the reports quoted.
As per the International Boxing Association (IBA) rules, athletes above 40 cannot participate in Olympic Games. The Indian star is currently 41 years old and was born on 24th November 1982. She is the only female boxer to have won six world titles. Mary is also the only boxer, male or female to win eight World Championships. She is one of the most decorated boxers in the history of women's boxing.
