IMPHAL: Sarjubala Devi, a 28-year-old Olympian and the ace boxer from Manipur has recently signed an agreement with the leading Indian boxing promoter Mujtaba Kamal and Grassroot Boxing Promotions and Management in Imphal, Manipur.
Sarjubala Devi joins professional ranks through the deal with Mujtaba's company made in a press conference in presence of the Director-General of Manipur police, P Doungel.
The former Youth World Boxing gold medalist, Sarjubala Devi turns professional with her boxing debut scheduled on 26 February in Dubai of United Arab Emirates.
The company of Mujtaba Kamal at present manages and directs some of the well-known professional boxers which include the current World Boxing Council (WBC) India champion Sabari J, WBC youth world champion Lalrinsanga Tlau, WBC Asian silver winner Karthik S, Gurpreet Singh, Faizan Anwar and Asif Asad among others.
Sarjubala Devi is a silver medalist in the 2014 AIBA International Boxing Association in Korea and a national champion four times. She has represented the country in various national and international boxing tournaments including the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Sarjubala is known as a Manipuri boxer who brings medals from all the competitions that she has participated in her life. Notably, she ranked second in the year 2014 in her weight category.
The Manipuri boxer was awarded as the Best Boxer at Youth World Women Boxing Championship in Turkey and is regarded by people across the state and country as the next Mary Kom.
In addressing the media, Mujtaba expressed his happiness in adding the sensational boxer to his stable and said that the day is marked significant for sports as Sarjubala Devi enters in professional ranks.
He added that Sarjubala is a public figure in Manipur and is one of the most recognized Indian women's amateur boxers of all time.
Brigadier PK Muralidharan Raja, the President of Indian Boxing Council President in the matter said that it is great news for the ace boxer and also for her fans who have been following her.
He further said that the career and familial background of Sarjubala is an inspiration for the youth in Manipur and everyone is excited about her first-ever professional fight in February this year.
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