Women’s National Boxing Championships 2023: Sonia Lather makes perfect start

World Championships silver medallist Sonia Lather marched into the second round of the Elite Women’s National Boxing Championships 2023 in Greater Noida on Friday.

Boxing in the 57kg category, Sonia Lather started the bout against Mahi Lama aggressively and secured a comfortable 5-0 win.

Sonia Lather won the silver medal at the 2016 world championships and is also a two-time silver medallist at the Asian championships. The Indian boxer settled for bronze at the national champions in Bhopal last year.

S Kalaivani, the 2022 national silver medallist, also proved too strong for Milano MJ in the opening match of the 48kg category. Kalaivani’s relentless attack on Milano MJ ended with the Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) in the third round of the bout. Kalaivani will now square off against Gitika in the next round, who beat Meraj Begum by RSC.

The 2021 Asian Youth Championships silver medallist Nivedita Karki dominated Veronica Sohshang to secure a win through RSC in the second round of the 48kg.

Rinku (52kg) and Tannu (57kg) also registered victories and progressed to the round of 16.

The reigning world champion Saweety Boora (81kg), 2022 World Championships bronze medallist Manisha (60kg) and Tokyo Olympian Pooja Rani (75kg) will begin their campaigns on Saturday.

Over 300 women boxers are competing across 12 weight categories at the seventh edition of the national boxing championships. The finals will be held on December 27.