'Misquoted': Mary Kom rubbishes reports of her retirement

Legendary Indian boxer MC Mary Kom on Thursday rubbished media reports claiming that she has announced her retirement from boxing. She said she still has the appetite to achieve more in the sport.

"I haven’t announced retirement yet and I have been misquoted. I will personally come in front of media whenever I want to announce it," Mary Kom, predominantly a 48kg category boxer, reiterated in a media statement.

"I have gone through some media reports stating that I have announced retirement and this is not true," added the 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist in the 51kg category who also won a record six World Championships titles.

"I was attending a school event in Dibrugarh on 24 January 2024 wherein I was motivating children and I said, 'I still have a hunger to achieve in sports but the age limit in the 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. Please do correct this," stressed Mary Kom who made her debut at the age of 18 in 2000 in Pennsylvania, USA.

Mary Kom is by far India's most decorated boxer and one of the all-time greats in the sport across the world.

Also a five-time Asian boxing champion, Mary made history in 2014 by becoming the first Indian female boxer to win a gold medal at the Asian Games.

Her first of the six Worlds gold came in 2002 before she achieved a double in 2005 and 2006. She would add three more titles to her cabinet in 2008, 2010 and 2018.

She would win her sixth Worlds title in 2018 in New Delhi when she beat Hanna Okhota of Ukraine 5-0 in the final.