MUMBAI: World Series boxing (WSB) franchise Venky?s Mumbai Fighters are hosting an international boxing match in a mall. Venky?s Mumbai Fighters will host LA Matadors in their fourth match for the 2011/12 season at the T-Box Mobile Arena, Inorbit Mall, Malad, on 9 December.

The team is aiming to take boxing to a larger audience. The organisers are confident that this initiative will change the way Boxing is perceived and spectators will only go back home with wonderful memories.

Venky?s Mumbai Fighters Team Principal Udit Sheth said, "One cannot feel the excitement of Boxing unless seen live. This is a game of controlled aggression, strength and endurance and a pugilist combines his punches with building strategies in mind simultaneously. A real bout of WSB, gives the audience a real high and an adrenaline rush. We are proud of bringing this high-energy sport close to the people by setting it up at In-Orbit Mall.

"The owners of In-Orbit share our vision and we thank them for their support. With T-Box Mobile Arena the people will enjoy the match from a certified safe arena, which is approved for quality as per global standards and will be a great change from regular unstable scaffolding."

Mumbai Fighters boxer Akhil Kumar said, "It is really an innovative step to enhance the sport as well as the boxer?s name. It will attract a lot of new spectators to the sport, especially the common people. It is a good way of promoting boxing. People will be able to see boxing from close quarters and understand the rules and regulations better. Such an event will also enhance the chances of aspiring boxers taking the sport seriously."

Inorbit Malls CEO Kishore Bhatija added, ??Inorbit has always been known for the one of a kind marketing and promotional activities across its 4 centers. It has been our constant endeavor to bring to our patrons a unique experience each time they visit Inorbit Mall. Our association with Mumbai Fighters this year will bring to our patrons an opportunity to witness semi-professional Boxing bouts of global standards at our mall in Malad. Inorbit will become the first ever mall in the world to have hosted a World Series of Boxing bout within their premises.??

The match will be aired live on ESPN from 8 pm onwards on 9 December.

Two previous matches of Mumbai Fighters have recorded 75,000 hits on Youtube so far which witnesses increasing interest in the sport worldwide.

Maharashtra Boxing Association president Jay Kowli said, "The atmosphere will be electrifying. It would be a great experience and a great way to take the sport to the masses."

Venky?s Mumbai Fighters have played two matches this season in Group A. The team got a walk-over in the third match against Bangkok Elephants. There are six teams in the group and the match against LA Matadors would be the fourth one. In the points table, Venky?s Mumbai Fighters are placed fifth with four points.

MUMBAI: Mumbai Fighters, the only Indian team for the upcoming World Series of Boxing (WSB), is excited with the country?s star boxer Akhil Kumar joining the squad. 

Kumar has several international and national medals and awards in boxing. A 2005 Arjuna awardee, Akhil?s biggest achievement was his Bantamweight (54 kg) gold at 2006 Commonwealth Games.

TransStadia MD, CEO Udit Sheth said, "We are excited to have Akhil Kumar as a Fighter. He is a strong and experienced boxer with tremendous will power. Not only is he an icon but a leader from whom our team can learn. In 2005, he was awarded the Arjuna Award and this speaks volumes of his potential. We welcome him to Team Fighters and wish him the very best. We are confident he will perform well at the highest level."

MUMBAI: TransStadia will spend about Rs 600 million in five years towards developing the global World Series Boxing India team.

The company recently signed a 10-year deal in Astana Kazakhstan with World Series of Boxing, a property owned by Aiba, the apex body of the sport worldwide.
 
TransStadia MD & CEO Udit Sheth said that the company is the exclusive rights holder for India for perpetuity.

In terms of the factors that prompted the company to get involved with this event, Sheth said: "We saw what Aiba was trying to build worldwide. We believe it is a fantastic opportunity for Indian boxers to showcase their capabilities at the international level. TransStadia is in the business of sport where we create, manage and host sporting IP."

The team will be named in the third week of the month with the coach. The coach will subsequently recruit the players in September.

Talking about the event, Sheth said: "A total of 12 teams
participate in this event. In our group we have Moscow, Mumbai, Milan, LA, Pohang and Astana. We will be fighting five home and five away matches. The top 4 teams from each group will qualify for the next stage. A total of 67 fights will happen in WSB Season II."

In terms of the marketing initiatives being undertaken, he said: "We will be building the brand of our team on core values of India that have to do with hardwork, perseverance and strategy. We will be developing several youth programmes and talent development initiatives. Also our focus is to develop an academy as well. We want to work very closely with the IBF and the AIBA to make this a success in India."

MUMBAI: TransStadia is the latest owner of the global World Series Boxing India team. The company has signed a 10-year deal in Astana Kazakhstan with World Series of Boxing, a property owned by AIBA, the apex body of the sport worldwide.

Transstadia‘s boxing team will operate out of Mumbai in cooperation with World Series Boxing and the Indian Boxing Federation under AIBA guidelines and best practices using TransStadia‘s knowledge of sports infrastructure and content development. 

TransStadia will oversee, host and manage all commercial rights of this sport in India. AIBA and Indian Boxing Federation will partner TransStadia on the technical side of the sport.

TransStadia MD, CEO Udit Sheth said, "Boxing has captured the imagination of the world for a long time and now it‘s time for India to showcase some action. Indian boxers are capable of competing at the world level and we are sure our franchise will produce results. As team owners our goal is to create a culture of fitness and safety through picking up the art of boxing. The calibre of fitness required to punch effectively is extremely high and it is literally the survival of the fittest. Indians will very soon witness world class boxing in their cities."

The first bout is in November 2011. TransStadia‘s plan in India is to nurture talent, create sustainable infrastructure, contribute to the sports industry and revolutionise the perception of Sports in India.

WSB COO Ivan Khodabakhsh said, "I am delighted that we have a Mumbai-based team competing in the World Series of Boxing from Season II 2011 - 12. From the very beginnings of the idea for the WSB, we were convinced that there is huge potential for the tournament in India. Furthermore, the global dimension of the series is an excellent platform for TransStadia to showcase its image and innovative sports solutions on the international stage."