'No boxer can be compared with me,' says Mary Kom on comparison with Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain

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Decorated Indian boxer MC Mary Kom rejected any comparison with the current crop of Indian women boxers in Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain. The 40-year-old boxer, who is due to retire next year, also questioned their attitude saying she is unhappy to see the way boxing has been approached by the youngsters.

The six-time World Champion pointed out that comparing the likes of Zareen (a reigning World Champion) and Borgohain (Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist) is futile as they need to maintain their rich legacy before their names are taken in the same breath as her.

"I hope that all these medals that I have won over the years are maintained by the upcoming generation. Performance may go up and down but at the moment nobody can be compared with me," said Mary Kom during the International Boxing Association press conference in New Delhi on Monday.

"Back-to-back five World Championships title is a feat not achieved by any other boxer in the country. Forget about boxing, the feat is not achieved in any other sports as well. So the comparison is out of the question."

Mary Kom, who wishes to end her career with Asian Games later this year, expressed her disappointment on how boxers are chasing money and felt their attitude is wrong as the Boxing Federation of India announced a hefty prize purse of Rs 20 crore for the medal-winning boxers.

"Not really happy to see that attitude and arrogance of boxers nowadays. They are chasing money and not focussing on performance. This will affect your training and preparations. The focus should be on performance first and the money will follow," said Mary Kom.