TOKYO: Indian boxing legend MC Mary Kom began her Olympic campaign with a comfortable win over Dominican Republic's Miguelina Hernandez Garcia in the women's 51kg round of 32 match.

Mary Kom, a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, dominated the proceedings in all three rounds to win a 4:1 split decision at the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena.

The 38-year-old Indian took a conservative approach in the first round but capitalized on Miguelina's loose guard, a result of her aggressive approach. 

As a result, the 23-year-old Caribbean boxer frequently found herself on the receiving end of Mary Kom's timely jabs.

Mary Kom increased her offensive output in the second round in order to control the pace of the fight. 

Miguelina, who won bronze at the 2019 Pan American Games, was also successful in connecting punches, but it was six-time world champion Mary Kom who scored more points with the right hook-left cross combination.

Both flyweight boxers increased the tempo in the final round, exchanging flurry punches early on.

Miguelina stepped up her game in the dying seconds in an attempt to gain some final points, but Mary Kom defended well with her nimble footwork to walk out of the ring victorious.

On Thursday, Mary Kom will face Rio 2016 bronze medalist and Colombian third seed Ingrit Valencia in the round of 16.

Edited - SportsAction / Inputs - olympics.com