India becomes franchisee in World Series of Boxing

A new chapter was added to the annals of Indian boxing with the country becoming one of four Asian franchisees in the high-profile World Series of Boxing (WSB) slated for next September.

"Yes, India is one of the eight franchisees that have selected by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) so far," WSB Chief Operating Officer Ivan Khodabakhsh revealed in an interview from the AIBA headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"Four more franchisees remain to be picked and for that I would soon be travelling to America. By July, the whole process would be over and the details of the selected franchisees will be revealed," said Khodabakhsh, also the AIBA Sports Director.

He, however, refused to divulge the name of the corporate house that has obtained the Indian franchise. Khodabakhsh also did not reveal the other three Asian franchisees that were picked in a meeting held earlier this month.

A total of 12 city-based franchisees -- four each from Asia, America and Europe and worth US $10 million – will fight it out in an inter-continental series that borrows heavily from professional boxing.

Each franchisee will have a team of at least 10 boxers with a maximum of three foreign imports in it. The franchisees will also get a pool of reserve boxers.