Mumbai: Mumbai Fighters, the exclusive Indian Team competing in World Series Boxing (WSB) an AIBA property, unveiled their power-packed team on Friday.
The team of 17 top-class pugilists comprises of 13 Indian and 4 foreign boxers with the reputed names like Akhil Kumar, Balbir Singh, Jitender Kumar, Diwakar Prasad, Paul Koon (US) and Trent Rawlins (Australia) and Patrick Gallagher (Ireland) to name a few.
The team was formed after a pre-selection of Indian boxers observed by an eminent panel of judges and exhaustive training sessions by reputed international boxing coach Joe Clough and S K Pal.
With boxing seeing a spurt in interest, this event that will span from November 2011 all the way into April of 2012 will for the first time put boxing on TV for an extended period of time. This is also the first time India will see boxing on a top sports channel like ESPN which has backed this property to the hilt by extensive marketing support. This will pitchfork lesser known Indian boxers into the big league for the first time and India and the world would get to see the new Indian talent that’s out there.
There are many firsts to what the Mumbai Fighters bring with WSB to the Indian audience –
1st time we will see the Indian boys get to partner with boxers from different nationalities and cultures-
1st time will all the boxers in a team be given their own nicknames and identities making them connect with different target groups and giving them the encouragement to go out and perform in a style that’s their own-
We will for the 1st time see Indian boxers and boxers for that matter box without headgear and vests making it for exciting entertainment- Mumbai Fighters will be telecast LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on ESPN on fight nights at primetime. See listings.- 1st time boxing in India will be seen over 5 rounds of 3 minutes.
The 1st boxing anthem called Dhishoom created and performed by India’s leading rock band Agnee and famous Bollywood lyricist and writer Amitabh Bhattacharya (of Bhaag DK Bose Bhaag fame).
This development in boxing has catalyzed the nation, and the federation, who are supporting this whole heartedly: Abhay Singh Chautala, President, IABF, (Indian Amateur Boxing Federation) said, “WSB is a big leap for Indian boxing and a creditable initiative by Transstadia. I am sure the league will be a huge success and will help a great deal in the overall development of the sport. Moreover this unique concept is bound to encourage more Indians to take up boxing as a profession.
We hope to have more Indian boxers develop in the future” Udit Sheth, Team Principal said, “We have one real fit team. Our Head Coach and Technical Director along with our entire coaching staff have put in great effort with the boxers to build men of steel. They’re going to give the competition some real walloping. Our diversity is our strength; in a short time everyone is learning quickly and hungry to learn more. The team is global gaining exposure from each other quickly under Coach Joe and Pal’s expert eyes and guidance. We’re going to give the competition some things to worry about. Boxing is also the next big fitness program waiting to explode globally.
This team fitness personified.”Brig PK Muralidharan Raja, Secretary General, IABF said, “2011 will see a new format in ‘World Series Boxing’. It is going to be an interesting competition with new rules and new teams, one being Mumbai Fighters from India. With the likes of Akhil Kumar, 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Patrick Gallagher and the WSB experience of Paul Koon and Trent Rawlins, the Mumbai team will be a formidable one. The tournament will also provide a great platform for the lesser known boxer to make a name for him and be recognized in the global boxing arena.”
MD of USI Pran Chadha said, "Universal Sports has been catering to Boxing, Fitness & Martial arts since 1965, We have been manufacturing Boxing equipment for all the major Brands in the world. Our brand USI Universal holds a very strong position in the Indian market and with the arrival of WSB, we hope to grow with the popularity of this venture."
"We are quite certain that the requirement for Boxing equipment and apparel will grow as the Masses and the youth start to follow the sport , There will be a huge boost to the game when people start playing boxing as a fitness alternative .Our Brands Punchline is 'The Unbeatable' , we are very sure that the Mumbai Fighters will be the unbeatables," he added .
The final team of Mumbai Fighters include:
Bantamweight: Jitender Kumar, Balbir Singh, Gaurav Bidhuri, Vipin Kumar
Lightweight: Akhil Kumar, Diwakar Prasad, Siddharth Varma
Middleweight: Patrick Gallagher, (Ireland), Mandeep Jangra, Vijay Hooda
Light Heavyweight: Marko Calic (Croatia), Jasveer Singh, Rahul Kumar
Heavyweight: Paul Koon (US), Trent Rawlins (Australia), Krishan Kumar, Sumit Rangi
