For Kom, bring out the pompoms!

As Mary Kom rightly pointed out, her latest world crown was the most difficult one.

In the dazzling light of Mary Kom’s aura, her early toil for recognition remains in the dark. Those initial days laid the foundation on which now stands the towering career of the sixtime world champion. When women’s boxing itself was in its infancy, Mary’s first two world titles understandably got lukewarm response in the country.

It was a reflection of the status of the sport and its practitioners at large.

“At that time no one knew about women’s boxing. The national camp used to be held at smaller Sports Authority of India centres and there were not many facilities for the boxers. No one cared for the sport,” said former national coach Anoop Kumar, remembering the early 2000s.

“In 2006, when we hosted the world championships and eight of our girls got