First WSB contest at Almaty exhibition

The Astana Arlans and the Istanbulls – two of the twelve franchises from across the globe – will compete across five weight categories in the first-ever World Series of Boxing bouts. Fighters from Turkey and Kazakhstan as well as Ghana, Serbia and Morocco will represent the two squads on a high-quality fight card, sharing the honour of being part of the first WSB contest.

Dr C. K. Wu, President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and Chairman of WSB commented: “The exhibition match in Almaty will give us the first real taste for what the exciting new WSB concept can deliver for the world of boxing and especially for the fans. The fight marks a landmark moment. After all our development and preparations, we will see some action in the ring ahead of the full launch on the weekend of November 19, 2010.”

The exhibition aims to showcase the unique format of the World Series of Boxing to both the general public and some of the most influential boxing administrators, with over 100 AIBA national federations planning to attend. The World Series of Boxing (WSB), initiated by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), will be the only professional boxing series in which boxers will retain their Olympic eligibility and federations will receive a return on their investments in boxers.

The first WSB fight card for the exhibition features the following contests:

54kg

Bagdad Alimbekov (KAZ) (22) - Abdullah Dursun (TUR) (22)

61kg

Yerzhan Mussafirov (KAZ) (25) - Mehmet Topçakan (TUR) (18)

73kg

Bakhyt Sarsekbayev (KAZ) (28) - Onur Şipal (TUR) (21)

85kg

Maxwell Amponsah (GHA) (24) - Önder Özgül (TUR) (22)

91+kg

Milutin Stankovic (SRB) (20) - Mohamad Arjaoui (MAR) (23)

The card contains some seasoned fighters, along with some outstanding prospects, including the reigning Olympic welterweight gold medallist, Bakhyt Sarsekbayev (KAZ) and Olympic Games quarter-finalist, Mohamad Arjaoui (MAR).

Ahead of the Exhibition, the Istanbulls continue to raise their training levels. Head Coach, Tunçay Varol comments on the anticipation amongst their camp: "WSB does not only facilitate a higher level of boxing, but also will give momentum and excitement to the spirit of the sport".

One of the most important figures of the team, bronze medalist at the 2009 Mediterranean Games Önder Özgül sees a bright future ahead of them: "The sun is shining like it never did before for me," he said. Likewise, Onur Şipal, 2008 Beijing Olympics participant, who recently took the silver medal at 4th World University Championships, is confident about good results at both team and individual level: "This chain has no weak link at all. All we must do is keep training and believe," he said. "WSB is simply the competition I was dreaming of."

About the World Series of Boxing

Ushering in a new era in boxing, the World Series of Boxing is a new global boxing series that is an initiative of AIBA, the International Boxing Association, under the leadership of its president Dr. C.K. Wu. The World Series of Boxing will bring together the best of the amateur and professional boxing worlds. Not only will it be the first truly global professional-style boxing tournament, it will also allow all participants to retain their eligibility to participate in the Olympic Games and the Individual Champions to qualify directly for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The WSB comprises 12 city-based Franchise teams spread across three regional conferences: Asia, the Americas and Europe. During the regular season (November 2010 to March 2011), teams in each conference will compete against each other over two home and two away legs (a total of 12 matches per team).

Boxing squads consist of between 10 and 20 boxers, with a cap on the maximum number of national boxers and a requirement to field between 3 and 6 non-national boxers according to squad size.

The top team from each conference, plus the best second-placed team, will then go through to the play-off series to compete for a place in the team championship final at a neutral venue. Separate individual championships will be held for the best boxers in each of the five weight divisions (54kg, 61kg, 73kg, 85kg, 91+kg).