Boxing Great Mary Kom On Divorce: "Man I Trusted Wasn't What I Believed Him To Be"
Mary Kom and fellow Manipuri Onler were married for over two decades, and their divorce in 2025 shocked close family and acquaintances.
"What's the point of all that I achieved?" wondered MC Mary Kom as she opened up to PTI about the "darkest phase" of her life, which included a painful divorce, near bankruptcy, and a quiet emotional collapse. A six-time world champion, an Olympic bronze medallist, and the owner of numerous global titles and accolades, the 43-year-old Mary Kom said she has decided to speak up as the "slander has gone too far" on social media and in news reports, making a "mockery" of her situation.
"I have been called greedy by people who know nothing about what I went through. Yes, I am now separated from my husband Onler, and it all happened more than two years ago," she told PTI in a telephonic interview from Ahmedabad, where she was attending an IOA event.
Mary Kom and fellow Manipuri Onler were married for over two decades, and their divorce in 2025 shocked close family and acquaintances.
"Things were fine till I was competing and had very little involvement in my finances, but when I got injured before the 2022 Commonwealth Games, I realised I was living a lie.
"I was bedridden for several months and needed a walker after that. It was then that I realised that the man I had trusted was not what I believed him to be. I did not want it to be a spectacle for the world, so I sought a divorce after several attempts to resolve it between us.
"I informed my family and his family that it could not continue, and they understood. I was hoping that it would stay private, but then a concerted attempt has been made to slander me for the last year. I thought I would not respond, but then my silence was being misread and the attacks kept increasing," she recounted.
The former Rajya Sabha member, who now lives in Faridabad, alleged she has been cheated of crores and lost possession of land she bought with her own hard-earned money.
"He kept taking loans, mortgaging my property, which he transferred in his name. He borrowed money from locals in Churachandpur, and to recover it from him, they have seized the land through underground groups," she said.
When contacted, Onler denied the charge and said he has "not been involved in any wrongdoing."
Mary Kom expressed her anguish at being slandered in the media.
"...there are news reports that call me the greedy one, who forced him to contest elections (2022 in Manipur). I did not do any of it. Things which were only discussed between me and him are being fed to tabloids to paint me as the villain, and my character is being questioned. I had to react at some point.
"What is the point of my achievements? Kya fayda, I have been left broken, but I can't even afford to grieve. Because I have four kids to take care of, parents who are dependent on me," she said.
"I haven't and don't wish to take any police action, but just leave me alone, stop slandering me." Mary Kom has three sons, including twins, and a daughter, who is the youngest.
The diminutive flyweight boxer, who also heads the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Athletes Commission, said she has managed to gather herself for her children and is now busy rebuilding her finances through endorsements and commercial appearances.
"I work hard for my kids. God knows how difficult it has been, but can you afford to stay down when you have children? You have to pick yourself up," she said.
Nicknamed 'Magnificent Mary' by the international boxing body back in 2012, Mary Kom is arguably the most successful Indian boxer of all time.
Her tale of resilience, which includes a world title within months of coming back from a two-year maternity break in 2010, was turned into a biopic in 2013, starring Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra in the titular role.
But her own life has become far more dramatic and complicated since then.
"But I fight on. My life is one long boxing bout, it seems. But God is there; he will give me strength, hopefully," quipped the boxer, who can no longer compete in the amateur circuit, having crossed 40.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Mary Kom