Sarita to take on Hungarian Zsofia Bedo in professional debut

Imphal, Jan.12: After creating history for being the first ever female boxer from India to step into the world of professional boxing, Arjuna Awardee and former world Champion Laishram Sarita Devi will make her professional debut against the seasoned pro Zsofia Bedo of Hungary, a veteran of 59 professional bouts at Khuman Lampak Sports complex here on January 29, sources said.
“It will be a baptism by fire for Sarita, who is training hard at the Sports Authority India’s National Boxing Academy in Rohtak for her new avatar,” says Sporty Solutions Limited, a Noida based sports marketing company in a press release which was made available here.The 29-year-old Hungarian is better known for knocking out her opponents but have never contested in a bout in Asia before. She had started her professional career at a young age of 19 and in a career spanning 283 rounds, she has garnered 19 victories. Zsofia is the No. 1 Hungarian professional boxer in the light weight category.
But Sarita wants to take no chances as she claims herself to be a lady on mission. “Turning professional is not just about winning or losing a couple of bouts. I will have to make longer strides to achieve my goals. The stronger the opponent, the better are the chances to improve my pro rankings,” says the Manipur boxer who is serving in state police department, according to the release.
Asserting that the Sarita-Zsofia bout will usher in a new era for Indian boxing, Indian Boxing Council president, Brig PK Muralidharan Raja said,“Sarita’s presence in Imphal is going to draw a good crowd support. We also plan to create a ‘box park’ outside the arena where the fans are expected to turn up in big numbers to watch live action on giant screens to get the in-stadia-like feel.”
Inspired by achievements of Muhammad Ali, Sarita took to boxing at the age of 15 in year 2000. Last year, she represented India at the Asian Boxing Championship at Bangkok and won a silver medal. Besides the national and world titles and various other crowns, Sarita also won a silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. However, she was let down by a poor decision in the semi-finals of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.