WBA President plans India trip to promote pro-boxing

Professional boxing in India is all set to get a massive fillip with the President of WBA — one of the four organisations which sanction world championship bouts — Geroldo Jesus Mendoza planning a trip to the country in April next year to initiate a programme for development of the sport.

Published : Dec 21, 2015 00:09 IST , New Delhi

The World Boxing Association wants to expand its strategy of going worldwide with boxing by improving the sport in India.
The World Boxing Association wants to expand its strategy of going worldwide with boxing by improving the sport in India.
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The World Boxing Association wants to expand its strategy of going worldwide with boxing by improving the sport in India.

Professional boxing in India is all set to get a massive fillip with the President of WBA — one of the four organisations which sanction world championship bouts — Geroldo Jesus Mendoza planning a trip to the country in April next year to initiate a programme for development of the sport.

The World Boxing Association (WBA) had invited Indian Boxing Council President Brig (retd) P. K. Muralidharan Raja to be a part of its 94th Annual Convention at Panama City recently. And after a series of interactions with Raja, the WBA chief has decided to visit India.

“We want to take the WBA franchise to India. We can help kids use the sport as a vehicle to improve their lives. India matches perfectly with our strategy of going worldwide with boxing,” Mendoza said after his meeting with Raja.

Raja said the Mendoza’s visit is being planned for around March-April.

“This visit will be the first by the head of a world professional boxing body,” he said.

Besides, the WBA President has approved the visit of its Director Stanley Christodoulou in January to conduct a seminar for upgradation of IBC Referees and Judges to WBA standards.

Stanley has been a referee in more than 240 World Title bouts so far. He was the first man to referee world title fights in all 17 weight categories, and the third to oversee 100 world title bouts.

Stanley is likely to be accompanied by John Fleming, a Member of WBA Medical Advisory Board, who is also a Neurologist.

WBA International Coordinator Marianna Borissova will conduct the Supervisor’s training along with Stanley and Fleming for Indian Boxing Council (IBC) in January.

Brig Raja said the IBC’s First Fight Card is likely to commence in the same month and three days prior to that, a seminar for supervisors, referees and judges and ringside doctors would be held in Delhi.

“The 94th WBA Annual Convention at Panama City was a real eye-opener for me on many counts. Although I have attended many International Boxing General Assemblies in Amateur Boxing in the last three decades, this was the first time that I saw wholehearted participation of all stake holders discussing threadbare various pros and cons of all subjects connected with Pro Boxing,” Raja said.

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