Mary Kom’s journey to the top – a look back on her previous 5 world championship golds

35-year-old Mary Kom recently became the first ever boxer to win six AIBA Women's Boxing Championship titles. 16 years after winning her maiden World Championship crown – and eight years since her last – Mary became the most successful female in the history of the competition, and the joint-most successful pugilist overall along with Cuban all-time great Felix Savon.

Mary’s five previous World Championship titles had come over five successive editions from 2002 to 2010, after a silver medal at the inaugural Worlds in 2001. She remains the only Indian female boxer to have won an Olympic medal, a bronze at the 2012 London Games, and also the only one with Commonwealth Games gold, won in Gold Coast earlier this year. 

G Plus looks back on Mary Kom's previous five World Championship title:

1. 2002 - In 2002, Mary participated at the Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships hosted by Turkey in Antalya. She won the Gold medal in 45kg pin weight category, after beating Jang Song-Ae from North Korea. It was the 2nd championship, which debuted 2001 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States.

2. 2005 - In the third edition of Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships which was hosted by Russia in Podolsk, Mary Kom won the Gold medal in 46kg category, beating Jong Ok from North Korea, again. That year, India was ranked number 3 in the tournament with a total of 5 medals.

3. 2006 - The 2006 Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships was hosted by India in New Delhi. This time, Mary went against Steluta Duta from Romania in the finals and won the title in 46kg category. India ranked number 1 that year, scoring a total of 4 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals.

4. 2008 - For the third consecutive year, Mary participated in the 46kg category, but this time at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships. In the tournament hosted by China in Ningbo City, Mary won the Gold medal defeating Romania’s Steluta Duta in the finals for the second time.

5. 2010 - In the 2010 AIBA Women World Boxing Championships hosted by Barbados in Bridgetown, Mary Kom one again defeated Romania's Steluta Duta in the finals to win her fifth World Title. They competed in Barbados in the 48 kg weight category, after AIBA had stopped using the 46 kg class.

Finally, in 2018, after winning the historic sixth world title, Mary Kom was declared the best pugilist of the 10th Women’s World Boxing Championships by the International Boxing Association (AIBA). Kom beat Ukraine's Hanna Okhota in a unanimous 5-0 verdict in the 48 kg category summit clash in the finals of the championship.

The AIBA panel which chose the Indian as the best among the competitors was a richly deserved honour to the 35-year-old Manipuri, whose endurance, perseverance and the never-say-die attitude is unparalleled in the history.

The Manipuri boxer who has so far won a whopping 22 international medals in boxing and now has her goals set for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!