Former world champion Sarita Devi, who defeated Sandra Brugger of Switzerland in women's 60kg category at the ongoing International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women's World Boxing Championship, said she would like to dedicate her victory to the people of Manipur.
Speaking to media after her victory, an elated Sarita said, "I would like to dedicate this victory to the people of Manipur, who contributed financially to pay the fine and help me come back into the ring after I was banned for one year in 2014."
The boxer also took the opportunity to thank the government for the support and facilities being provided. "When I started off, there was no funding. However, once I was recognised publicly, I got a lot of support from the government and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), I would like to thank the government for this," she said.
Acknowledging the pressure of performing in India, Sarita noted that while a pressure was built during the match, the constant crowd support helped keep her momentum going during the match.
"Sandra is a very experienced boxer and it was very difficult to control her in the ring. Playing after so long in our home country does build up pressure, but the crowd cheering mentally pumps us to perform better," she opined.
While Sarita managed to clinch a 4-0 victory over her Swiss opponent on Friday, another boxer, Manisha Moun kick-started her campaign at the championship with a dominating 5-0 victory over her American opponent Christian Cruz in the women's 54kg boxing category.
With these victories, the Indian two boxers have now advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament, where Sarita will face Ireland's Kellie Herrington and Manisha will face Dina Zholaman of Kazakhstan on Sunday.
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