MUMBAI: The 2012-13 season of World Series Boxing will have 14 teams with the addition of the Ukrainian franchise for the pro-Boxing league.

The franchise rights have been taken by Ukrainian Boxing Federation.

Recently, the International Boxing Association had signed a franchise agreement with Argentinean Boxing Federation which took the total number of teams to 13.

"Ukraine is one of the World‘s true boxing powerhouses and we are absolutely thrilled to welcome their Franchise to the World Series of Boxing," Aiba president and WSB chairman Dr Ching-Kuo Wu said.

Ukrainian Minister of Sports Ravil Safiullin said, "With the Euro, we showed the World that Ukraine is more than capable of hosting big sporting events. Our country needs to carry in this way and we very much look forward to welcoming APB and AIBA competitions here soon."

The Indian franchise in WSB is represented by Mumbai Fighters, which is owned and managed by Mumbai-

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."