Mary Kom enters boxing final for a punch at gold

MC Mary Kom has surged into the finals, secured a berth in the gold medal bout of the women's flyweight (48-51kg) after a convincing win in the semi-final of the 17th Asian Games at Incheon. IBNLive>

The 31-year-old Indian beat Vietnam's Le Thi Bang by a unanimous 3-0 decision to enter the final. The five-time world champion was in fine form and her speed and guile was just too much to handle for the Vietnamese fighter. Mary Kom tossed her opponent with several combination punches and didn't give her anytime to gain a foothold.

According to news agency IANS, Le went for broke in the fourth and final round and managed to connect a few punches but with the Indian, having already won the previous three rounds, there was very little the Vietnamese could do.

Judge A from Bulgaria ruled the bout 40-36 in favour of the Indian. Judge B of Morocco gave the same scores but Judge C of Italy awarded the fourth round 10-9 in favour of Le; however, his final scored of 39-37 went to Mary Kom.

Earlier a report highlighted how Kom was able to draw crowds from different parts of the world to her event. She was a sport despite being jostled around for photographs. "I expected people to come and watch me compete," Mary Kom said to Associated Press. "I've been fortunate to have a fan following and understand that women in particular idolize me."