Internet Desk: Indian Boxing Council (IBC), the governing body for professional boxing in India, has roped in Sporty Solutionz as their commercial partner. The sports management company has entered a multi-year commercial deal worth Rs 100 crore. The agreement is for five years and is aimed at creating a vertical structure that will ensure a complete ecosystem for pro boxing in India.
The investment is targeted to make India the global hub for professional boxing over the next five years. The active boxers will have opportunities to compete and earn, the retired boxers will be part of a system to create champions, and the beginner talent will have incentives and scholarships to stay focused on the sport. The investment will flow in a periodic manner at various levels.
In the first phase there will be pan-India competitions for the IBC boxers. The level of competition will be raised by inviting top international professionals, which in turn will uplift the competitive structure. Alongside the top level competition, a considerable part of the investment will go towards setting up of IBC academies and training.
Speaking on the tie-up, Ashish Chaddha, the CEO of Sporty Solutionz said, “With the combat sport segment growing by the day and the growing in popularity of WWE in India, we thought about investing in this sport. Boxing as a sport has a great prospect in India with a number of stars coming up. Vijender Singh is already creating a sensation. Unlike WWE here we will have real heroes.”
There are a quite a few big announcements coming up in the next few weeks. Confirming the news, Mr Chaddha said, “Yes, a couple of boxers who represented India during London and Rio Olympics will be seen in action”
As part of the agreement the IBC will organize fight night cards starting from January 2017. This will be followed by a three-tier pro tour where City level Silver Glove competition will be followed by the Golden Glove championships at the State level from where the winners will qualify for national, Asian and World titles.