The Queen Of Boxing (Prose)

Unit 2 – Prose

The Queen of Boxing

(M.C. Mary Kom)

Warm Up

• Sports Equipment Match
• PV Sindhu – badminton
• Geeta Phogat – wrestling
• Koneru Humpy – chess
• Karnam Malleshwari – weightlifting
• Anjali Bhagwat – shooting
• Sania Mirza – tennis
• Dipika Pallikal – squash
• Bula Choudhury – swimming
• P.T. Usha – athletics
• Saba Anjum Karim – hockey
• Akanksha Singh – basketball
• Mithali Raj – cricket
• Sharmila Nicollet – golf

• Deepika Kumari – archery

• Discussion Points

• Have you won any medals?
• What levels must be crossed to become an international sportsperson?
• What is your favourite sport? Do you play any?
• In India, few women choose sports careers compared to men. Why?

Regardless of the challenges, some women have achieved great success in sports. Their autobiographies are filled with inspirational stories of single-minded pursuit.

Prose Excerpt – Unbreakable by M.C. Mary Kom

Soon after the Bangkok championship, I was selected in the 48 kg category for the AIBA World Women’s Boxing Championships in Pennsylvania, USA (Nov–Dec 2001).

Financial Struggle

• My father could collect only ₹2,000.
• I spoke to Onler, who gathered students and elders.
• Two MPs donated ₹5,000 and ₹3,000; total ₹10,000 collected.
• With this princely sum, I left for the US, determined not to return empty-handed.

First Impressions

• Pennsylvania was cold, snowy, beautiful.
• People were enormously nice.
• We arrived last; went straight to the arena.
• Other teams had already weighed in.

Tournament Experience

• Jet-lagged, I rested; no match on arrival day.
• Won early rounds comfortably; fear vanished.
• Quarter-final: defeated Nadia Hokmi (Poland) by RSC (Referee Stopped Contest).
• Semi-final: defeated Jamie Behal (Canada) 21-9.
• Final: lost to Hula Sahin (Turkey) 13-5, winning silver.

Reason for Final Loss

• Loss of appetite; unaccustomed food.
• Weight dropped to 46 kg just before finals.

Confidence Gained

“I can take on any boxer.”
- Only Indian to win a medal.
- Coaches consoled and lauded the silver.

Return & Felicitation

• Delhi airport: warm welcome.
• Imphal: garlands, drumbeats, victory ride, felicitation at Langol.
• Traditional shawl presented; Oja Ibomcha felicitated.
• Vowed: “Next time I will bring back gold.”

Later Travels

• China: had to use chopsticks; managed with both hands.
• Started carrying packed food from home.

Job & Security

• After second World gold, Manipur government offered post of Sub-Inspector (2005).
• Salary: ₹15,000; sports-quota job allows flexible attendance.

Continued Success

• 2005–2006: retained world title—hat-trick of World Championship golds.
• Media nicknamed:
• “Queen of Boxing”
• “Magnificent Mary”

Greatest Achievement

“Winning the 2006 World Championship at home, New Delhi, defeating Steluta Duta 22-7.”
- India won 4 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze; team lifted overall title.

About the Author

Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom
- Five-time World Boxing Champion; Olympic Bronze 2012.
- Only woman boxer to medal in each of the six World Championships.
- Awards: Padma Shri 2010, Padma Bhushan 2013.
- Autobiography: Unbreakable (2013).

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’"
— Muhammad Ali

Glossary

Word	Meaning
princely	very large
jet lag	tiredness after long flight across time zones
appetite	hunger
lauded	appreciated
conviction	firm faith
sate	satisfy
palate	sense of taste
felicitation	congratulatory event
adulation	praise
etched	imprinted
haul	collection
speculation	guess

Comprehension

2. Answer in 2–3 sentences

a) How did Mary Kom manage financial support?
Friends and elders approached two MPs who donated ₹5,000 & ₹3,000; total ₹10,000 collected.

b) Why not return empty-handed?
People had struggled to raise funds; she felt responsible to reward their faith.

c) First impression of America?
Cold, snowy, beautiful; people enormously nice.

d) Why ‘lucky’?
No match on arrival day, so she could rest and recover from jet-lag.

e) Reason for final loss?
Loss of appetite; weight fell to 46 kg, affecting strength.

f) What built confidence?
Easy early victories showed opponents were not unbeatable.

g) Chinese food difficulty?
Had to use chopsticks; managed by holding both sticks together.

h) Felicitations on return?
Delhi airport welcome; Imphal gave garlands, drumbeats, victory ride, traditional shawl.

i) Greatest achievement?
2006 World Championship gold at home—won in front of Indian crowd.

3. Paragraph Answers (100–150 words)

a) First International Championship Journey
Selected for 48 kg AIBA Worlds 2001; father arranged ₹2,000, friends collected ₹10,000. Jet-lagged, weighed 46 kg due to unfamiliar food. Won early rounds, beat Hokmi (RSC) & Behal (21-9), lost final 13-5, securing silver. Returned hopeful, welcomed warmly, vowed future gold.

b) Financial Hurdles
Father’s meagre ₹2,000 insufficient; community & MPs donated. Fear of returning empty-handed spurred her. Prize money and later government job eased worries, yet initial lack of sponsorship threatened her career.

c) Titles “Queen of Boxing” & “Magnificent Mary”
Hat-trick of World Championship golds (2002-06), consistent medals, dominant performances, especially 2006 Delhi win, earned media these titles.

Vocabulary & Language Work

1. Antonyms (Box A → Box B)

A	Antonym from B
amateur	professional
compulsory	optional
traditional	modern
expensive	cheap
hopeful	desperate
accepted	refused

2. Prefixes (un-, in-, dis-, ir-, il-)

• unfortunate
• disrespect
• irrational
• indirect
• discomfortable
• irregular
• inactive
• disagree
• disobedient
• discontinue
• indecent
• illegitimate
• irrelevant
• unaware
• infinite
• unnecessary

Idioms from Sports

Idiom	Meaning
throw in the towel	give up
in our corner	on your side
on the ropes	near defeat
below the belt	unfair behaviour
square off	prepare for conflict

Listening (Cricket Commentary) – Tick correct answers after teacher reads.

i) Who faced first ball 49th over?
☐ Kulasekara ☐ Yuvraj ☐ Dhoni ☐ Sachin

ii) Who hit a sixer?
☐ Kulasekara ☐ Bajji ☐ Dhoni ☐ Yuvraj

iii) Match venue?
☐ Chennai ☐ Delhi ☐ Calcutta ☐ Mumbai

iv) ‘The Finishers’?
☐ Dhoni & Yuvraj ☐ Bajji & Malinga ☐ Gambhir & Yuvraj ☐ Perara & Malinga

v) Runs needed last 4 overs?
☐ 21 ☐ 27 ☐ 30 ☐ 37

Speaking Activity

Topic: “Athletes cannot run with money in their pockets. They must run with hope in their heart and dreams in their head.”
Discuss in groups, citing Mary Kom’s life.

Useful phrases:
- In my opinion…
- I whole-heartedly support…
- I see your point, but…

Reading – Kabbadi

Quick Facts

• Origin: Tamil Nadu
• National sport: Bangladesh
• Teams: 2 × 7 players
• Raider: tags defenders, holds breath chanting “kabbadi…”
• Points: tag defenders / stop raider
• Revival: players return when team scores

Regional Names

• Andhra: Chedugudu
• Punjab: Kauddi
• West: Hu-Tu-Tu
• East: Hu-Do-Do

Grammar

A. Modal Auxiliaries – Fill blanks

1. might
2. used to
3. May / Could
4. need
5. would
6. Could / May
7. must
8. dare
9. ought to
10. will
11. might
12. shall
13. will
14. would
15. must
16. will / may
17. can / may
18. need
19. May / Shall
20. could
21. must
22. could

B. Sign Language – Write rules using modals

(Students create sentences like: “You must wear helmets.”)

C. Passage – Three Men in a Boat

1. might
2. should
3. must
4. could
5. might
6. could
7. could not

Prepositions

A. Fill blanks

i) in difficulty, refer to, respond to
ii) put on, going to, homage to
iii) to this place, at a distance, by car or on a bicycle

B. Life-Preserver Invention

1. to
2. for
3. about
4. of
5. in
6. through
7. through
8. of
9. to
10. from

C. Titanic Wreck

1. of
2. at
3. about
4. of
5. in
6. of
7. within
8. of
9. of
10. from
11. in

D. Crossword – Solve with clues provided.

Writing

A. Note-Making

Steps:
- Identify main & sub-points
- Use abbreviations
- Avoid sentences
- Number headings

Sample Notes & Summary given for Paralympics 1960.

Task: Make notes & 75-word summary on Traditional Games passage.

B. Summarising

Use notes only; first draft → fair summary.

C. Debate

Topic: “Fast food tastes better than nutritious food.”
Prepare FOR / AGAINST speeches using suggested phrases.

D. Article Writing

Format: Headline → Byline → Introduction → Body → Conclusion

Task: Study pie-chart (factors affecting health—Lifestyle 51%) → write 150-word article for school magazine.

End of Unit 2