Laishram Sarita Devi is aiming to be the continent’s undisputed champion as India’s first professional woman boxer
India's Sarita Devi
New Delhi: Laishram Sarita Devi is aiming to be the continent’s undisputed champion as India’s first professional woman boxer.
Devi was devastated when she tearfully rejected her bronze medal at the 2014 games in Incheon and accused judges of pandering to locals by declaring South Korea’s Park Ji-Na the winner on points in their semi-final. But she also garnered sympathy back in India’s state of Manipur, which is both her home state and the venue of her first professional bout on Sunday night against the Hungarian Zsofia Bedo.
“I have been boxing for the last 16 years winning medals, bringing laurels to the country in amateur boxing, but as a boxer, it has always been on my mind to try in professional boxing,” Devi said. “My target is to win the Asian title, then fight for the world title.”
The 31-year-old decided to turn pro after more than a decade as an amateur, during which she won gold at the 2006 World Championships and silver in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
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