Photographs: Patrick Semansky/ AP Photo
Great Britain's Nicola Adams dashed M C Mary Kom's hopes of making it to final, outclassing the iconic Indian pugilist 11-6 in the women's flyweight (51kg) semi-finals on Wednesday.
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The Indian ace had to settle for bronze.
-Congratulate Mary Kom on her bronze win
The five-time World champion was no match for her British opponent, who was egged on by a vociferous home crowd that included Prime Minister David Cameron and last edition's silver medallist Aamir Khan.
It was Mary's 5ft 2 inches frame that caused undoing as Nicola used her big body and greater reach to good effect, landing punches from a distance and then staying out of her opponent's reach.
Desperate Mary tried to make a comeback
Photographs: Patrick Semansky/ AP Photo
The first round was 3-1 in favour of Nicola, better known as 'Babyface' in the boxing fraternity.
-Congratulate Mary Kom on her bronze win
The second round saw Nicola land a lethal right hook followed by a powerful straight left that caught Mary off-guard. She picked three more points and consolidated the lead at 5-2.
Facing a big deficit, Mary tried to stage a comeback in the penultimate round but Nicola evaded the 'pint-sized' Indian dynamo who couldn't land a decisive blows that could have turned the tide.
The round was 3-2 in favour of the British and the score 8-4.
Bronze is certainly a great effort from Magnificent Mary
Photographs: Ivan Sekretarev / AP Photo
The final round was all about how the British boxer could keep Mary Kom at bay. And she did that effectively, tiring the Manipuri girl, who out of frustration landed a couple of blows on the back of her opponent's head.
-Congratulate Mary Kom on her bronze win
An 11-6 result may depict that there was some fight but it was crystal clear that the two-time World Championship runner-up was an emphatic winner.
However, a bronze is certainly a great effort from 'Magnificent Mary", whose name will be etched in the history of Indian sports as she will certainly remain the first among equals as far as women's boxing is concerned.
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