NEW DELHI, Sept 21 (PTI): A five-time world champion but Indian woman boxer MC Mary Kom will still have to undergo trials to find a berth in the Asian Games squad in an all-new weight category.
The Manipuri, however, is unfazed by the challenge and said that she can pull it off riding on sheer willpower and experience.
Mary Kom (48kg), who returned today after clinching a historic fifth World Championship title in Barbados, originally competed in the 46kg category.
She went up a couple of kilograms ahead of this year�s World Championships and is all set to bulk up more to fight in the 51kg, one of the three weight categories to have got the International Olympic Committee�s nod for the Olympics and Asian Games.
Back after a gruelling journey, Mary Kom will tomorrow head to the ring once again for the second phase of trials. The initial trials before the World Championships were deemed �inconclusive� by the Indian Boxing Federation.
�I don�t have any problem in putting on weight. I have 10 years of experience in international boxing. I�m a mentally strong boxer and have the willpower to continue competing,� the 27-year-old mother-of-two from Manipur told reporters here.
The IBF was willing to delay the trials by a week to give Mary Kom a break after the World Championships but the boxer wanted to have it over and done with as quickly as possible.
�We told her that she can take a break because she fought five rounds in the World Championships and then endured a very long journey but she would have none of it. Even after her final bout in Barbados, she trained for two hours. She is truly a very resolute athlete,� said IBF Secretary General Col PK Muralidharan Raja.
�Yes, we had trials in Bhopal but they were inconclusive and therefore it was necessary to have another round. I�m sure Mary Kom would do well,� he added.
Asian Games are scheduled from November 15 in Guangzhou, China next month and Mary Kom�s main challenger in her division will be statemate L Sarita Devi, a former World Championship silver-medallist, but who lost in the second round of the just-concluded edition.
�I don�t think I would have a problem. I am just coming off a big tournament and would be in good form,� Sarita said.
