Manisha gives India rousing start with thumping victory
WORLD BOXING Indian youngster demolishes formidable American opponent in opening round bout
NEW DELHI: Manisha Maun stepped into the arena with confident strides. If there were any nerves on the big occasion, the 20-year-old didn’t betray it. In her maiden World Championships and opening India’s campaign at home against a formidable opponent, Manisha was far from awed. She was composed and focused, and gave India a rousing start by dominating Christina Cruz of US 5-0 in the 54kg bout at the IG Stadium here on Friday.
The fight, however, was closer than what the scoreline suggests and Manisha played intelligently to upset an attacking Christina, who won bronze in the category in the previous edition.
With her mother and grandmother egging her on from the stands, Manisha began by cautiously, gauging her opponent. The seasoned Christina was quick to attack but Manisha did well to stay out of reach. The Indian often lowered her guard and invited her opponent to attack. She would then deftly defend and go for swift counterattack.
After having assessed Christina’s tactics, Manisha let loose in the third round and unleashed a flurry of punches to invite loud cheers from the fans at the vast indoor hall.
“My coaches told me to play her from a distance . Her (Cruz’s) right was very strong so coaches told me to watch for those punches. I tried to dodge her punches from the right and attacked from the left. That was the plan and I did just that,” said Manisha, who hails from Haryana.
“The first round was about observing my opponent. In the second round, I was able to land my punches and in the third round I went for attack,” she added.
“I am very proud to win my first bout in the World Championships. I have proved that I can be at this stage. I will give my best and see how far I can go,” said Manisha, who won silver in the Silesian Open tournament in Poland recently.
She has got one of the tough- est draws among the 10 Indians in the fray, but Manisha is game for it. She next faces world champion Dina Zholaman from Kazakshtan, who defeated Mizuki Hiruta of Japan 4-1. Manisha, however, beat Zholaman in the Silesian Open. “It will be tough, but I know I can beat her,” she added.
GIRL FROM HINTERLAND
Hailing from the Haryana hinterland, Manisha faced resistance from her family, particularly her father, when she took up boxing. It took some time for them to come around, before they gave their consent.
The daughter of a tractor mechanic from Matour village in Kaithal district of Haryana, Manisha started with volleyball before switching to boxing. “She used to go with her brother to play volleyball but her coach told her to try out boxing and she was good at it,” recalls her mother Usha Rani
“She used to beat up boys when she was a kid. Yes, initially we had reservations but when she started winning medals we allowed her to follow her dreams and never stopped her. Now we are used to watching her bouts and her father also takes a keen interest. He will be here for the next fight,” said her mother.