The World Series of Boxing is set to bring fame and fortune for Indian pugilists.
Boxer Akhil Kumar is ecstatic at the news of India becoming one of the 12 franchisees of the high-profile World Series of Boxing (WSB). “It’s sure to put us on the world map like never before,” says the Olympian. With Delhi being chosen as one of the franchisee cities and Videocon having bought the rights for the country’s representation, the sport has got a massive shot in the arm.
The performance of Indian boxers at the Beijing Olympics is still fresh in people’s minds and the latest move is encouraging those connected with the sport. Money is likely to come in and with Videocon promising long-term commitment, the future of the sport certainly looks rosy.
According to Pradeep Dhoot, president, Videocon Industries, “Our commitment to boxing is long-term and we will invest in promoting the sport by developing facilities like boxing rings across India at the grassroot level.”
Though WSB will not be anything like the million dollar juggernaut which the Indian Premier League is, the likes of Kumar are certainly looking forward to the event. The series kicks off in September 2010 and Kumar is rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect. “It gives us a chance to compete against the best boxers in the world and the boxing federation too will reap mega benefits,” he says.
The move will give impetus to the game outside the ring as well. The event can be an ideal platform for brands, especially as many would like to look for alternate sports for branding opportunities. As Ravi Krishnan, president, IMG, puts it, “It is an astute business and marketing decision.” He continues, “What it will also do is to promote and help develop this increasingly popular sport in the country even though our boxers have already been making waves globally.”
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However, it remains to be seen if our cricket-crazy marketers will switch allegiances to boxing. The format has been designed in a way that it is likely to offer marketers more eyeballs during the event. Though this will depend largely on broadcasters as unless they show interest and market it aggressively as, a prime non-cricketing property, the event can end up as a damp squib. Hopefully broadcasters are likely to take the view that there have been a dearth of marketable sports in the country, so WSB just might be able to come out of cricket’s long shadow.
So how does the format work? A total of 12 city-based franchisees — four each from Asia, America and Europe and worth $10 million — will fight it out in an inter-continental series that is modelled on lines of professional boxing. Each franchisee will have a team of 10 boxers including a maximum of three foreign imports. The franchisees will also have a pool of reserve boxers. Each bout will be of five rounds and three minutes each. The scores will be given by three judges on a 10-point system to be announced at the end of each bout. The boxers will not wear any headgear or vests.
Although it isn’t clear how the Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) will select pugilists for the series, PK Muralidharan Raja, general secretary, IBF, is confident that WSB will help in nurturing talent. “The future of boxing is bright and exciting,” he says.
What adds spice to this is the fact that all boxers can be traded. So if an European franchise is inclined to buy Vijender Singh, they can pay the requisite amount and finalise the deal. However, Olympic bronze medallist Singh is not thinking along these lines and is excited at the prospect of participating in WSB. He says, “We have already seen what a good showing at the Olympics can do for a sport, so something of this magnitude should enhance the profile of the sport.” Of course, the monetary benefits that will follow is exciting for the boxers. For years, boxers have been crying out loud for corporate support and finally it is set to become a reality.
Both Singh and Kumar say that they won’t be doing any special training as far as WSB is concerned. Their idea is to perform to the best of their abilities. “I always give my best in the ring and will continue to do so,” says Singh. Though he says that boxers will take time in getting used to the new format, he is not too fazed by the challenge. Could this finally be the moment when sports like boxing come into their own? Or will it turn out to be a damp squib? The early signs show that this could well be the real deal. Whether it translates into something big remains to be seen.