National Boxing Championship: Sonia started with a win, Kalaivani’s match had to be stopped midway

World Championship silver medalists Sonia Lather of Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) and S Kalaivani of Tamil Nadu made a winning start on the first day of the Women’s National Boxing Championship here on Friday. Sonia made an aggressive start against Madhya Pradesh’s Mahi Lama in the first round match of 57 kg and secured an easy 5-0 win. Last time’s silver medalist Kalaivani easily defeated Kerala’s Milo MJ in the 48 kg weight category. Due to Kalaivani’s aggressive attitude, the referee had to stop the fight in the middle of the third round. Kalaivani will next face Haryana’s Geetika who defeated Telangana’s Meraj Begum.

Rinku (52 kg) and Tannu (57 kg) of Haryana have also reached the next round. Asian Youth Championships 2021 silver medalist Nivedita Karki (48kg) of Uttarakhand registered an easy win over Veronia Sohsang of Meghalaya.