Women’s National Boxing: Manju, Sonia shine as eight boxers from RSPB storm into semis

Greater Noida: Led by Manju Rani (48kg) and Sonia Lather (57kg), eight boxers from the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) stormed into the semifinals of the 7th Elite Women’s National Boxing Championships held at the GBU Indoor Stadium.

Besides Manju and Sonia, Anamika (50kg), Jyoti (52kg), Shiksha (54kg), Anupama (70kg), Nandini (75kg), Nupur (81+kg) have guaranteed medals for the RSPB. In the 48kg bout, RSPB’s Manju Rani displayed dominance over Delhi’s Sanjana, claiming a 5-0 verdict from the judges. Manju will face All India Police’s (AIP) Minakshi in the semis.

Sonia Lather of RSPB, the 2016 World Championship silver medallist, set up her semifinal clash with Punjab’s Mandeep Kaur after defeating Vinakshi Dhota of Himachal Pradesh 5-2. Meanwhile, Mandeep secured a 4-1 victory over AIP’s Preeti to book her place in the last four.

In another match, 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jaismine of Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) scored an RSC victory over Maharashtra’s Poonam Kaithwas in the 60kg category to reach the semifinals where she faces Menka Devi of Himachal Pradesh. Menka secured a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over Tamil Nadu’s PS Girija.

In the 63kg category, AIP’s Sonu impressed the judges to claim a 5-2 verdict in her favour against 2022 Senior National Championship winner Shashi Chopra. Sonu will take on Uttar Pradesh’s Rinky Sharma, who defeated Himachal Pradesh’s Muskan Rana 5-0 to reach the last four.

Youth World Champion Ankushita Boro registered a 5-0 victory over RSPB’s Anjali Tushir in the 66kg category. Boro’s semifinal opponent, Deepika from Himachal Pradesh, also had an easy outing against UP’s Rekha, securing a 0-5 victory.

Haryana’s Saweety Boora continued her dominance in the 81kg weight category. Facing Maharashtra’s Saie Davkhar, the 2023 World Championship gold medallist dominated her opponent to the extent that the referee had to stop the contest. In another 81kg bout, Assam’s Bhagyabati Kachari weighed so heavy on her opponent Saitejaswini Maineni from Andhra Pradesh that resulted in Referee Stopped Contest verdict, setting up a semifinal challenge against Saweety.

The prestigious tournament, organized by the Boxing Federation of India, has witnessed the participation of more than 300 boxers competing in 12 categories. The finals are scheduled to be held on Wednesday.