Shillong, Feb. 12: The opportunity to compete in the 12th South Asian Games held an added incentive for Pakistani pugilists Khoushleem Bano, Rukhsana Parveen and Sofia Javed - the opportunity to meet their "inspiration".
The three female boxers say they have been "motivated" after watching the biopic on five-time world champion and Olympic medallist M.C. Mary Kom.
Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra played Kom in the movie, directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Incidentally, Bano may even get a chance to step into the ring with "Magnificent Mary" when the women's boxing events kick off at the Sports Authority of India Centre in North Eastern Hill University here tomorrow. She is in the same weight-class as Kom (51kg).
"Watching the movie Mary Kom has further motivated me. I want to fight with Mary Kom in this event. I know she is very good and experienced, but I just want to fight with her, no matter what the result is," Bano said.
Parveen, who represented Pakistan as a kabaddi player in the Women's World Kabaddi Cup in 2014, said watching Mary Kom motivated her to shift to boxing.
Javed said Kom had become a source of inspiration for women boxers in Pakistan. "The movie motivates me and we used to watch it many times," she said.
Led by coach Nauman Karim, who won a bronze at the 2003 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok, the Pakistani team arrived here last evening.
The three Pakistani girls are relatively new at international events and said they were feeling proud to represent their country.
"It's my dream that I represent my country as a boxer in international events, and now it has materialised. Initially people were discouraging me. My friends and my family advised me to forget this game (boxing)," a smiling Bano said.
The three boxers also spoke about the social system in their country being a constraint. "There are people who do not accept and appreciate this but our coach has done a lot to encourage us," Bano said.
They also said that they got good support from their government, boxing federation, coach and, most importantly, their own family members. "Our families are very supportive and stand behind us," Javed said.
Asked about the future of boxing in Pakistan, the three pugilists were optimistic and hoped the sport would progress by leaps and bounds.
"We are optimistic that the young generations will take up boxing," Bano said.
On their preparations for the South Asian Games, they said they trained at the Ali Boxing Club in Lahore and at a camp in Islamabad. "We may not be as good as the Indians and Sri Lankans (this time), but we will get good experience from this event," Bano said.
When The Telegraph informed Kom about the Pakistani women looking up to her, she said: "I am very happy that Pakistan has done this, especially for women. I am very appreciative that boxing for women has come up in Pakistan. I will extend any requirement from my side, including training at my academy."
