First World Cup for pro boxing to be launched in 2013

First World Cup for pro boxing to be launched in 2013

The first World Cup for professional boxing will be held next year.

The event, to be organised by the World Boxing Council (WBC), will feature divisions from bantamweight to heavyweight.

The boxers contesting the World Cup will have to fight a series of eliminations before reaching the finals in late 2013.

The Asian boxers taking part in the World Cup will be reigning champions in the Asian Boxing Council (ABCO) and the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation.

The venues will be determined in December but Thailand and China have already been selected as primary host countries.

There have been professional boxing tournaments before _ such as the Super Six _ but there has never been a World Cup based on the successful formats used for football and rugby.

WBC president Jose Sulaiman said the World Cup would be cherished by boxers who have been top ranked but had not been able to secure a world championship.

"It's not easy for a boxer to become a world champion as some of the champions stay at their peak for several years and hold onto their titles for a long time," he said.

"What the World Cup will offer is a chance for new top talent to win a world title and be acknowledged as a true and great champion."

ABCO president Pol Gen Kovid Bhakdibhumi said a number of Thai fighters will be fighting in the eliminations and have a good chance of making it through to the World Cup finals.

"The world of boxing is always evolving and the World Cup concept opens the door for the cream of boxing talent to come up to the top," he said.

A World Cup final will be held in the high altitude city of Kunming in China.

Kunming has become a centre for elite sports because the high altitude helps enhance athletes' performance.

The Yunnan government has designated Kunming as the new boxing centre for professional boxing in China, and staging the World Cup is high on the sporting agenda for the Kunming hub that is one of the fastest growing cities in China.

There has been a lot of speculation that China will in the future dominate boxing due to the country's kung fu fighting heritage and huge population resource.

However, the Chinese nation, while excelling in amateur boxing at the Olympics, has been slow in making its mark on professional boxing.

But that could all change now that China's light-flyweight Zhao Zhong has won the WBC world silver belt and will challenge the winner of the WBC world title contest between current WBC champion Kompayak Porpramook of Thailand and Mexican challenger Adrian Hernandez .

Pint-size Zhong has a huge following with all his fights broadcast live across China where he is known as "Little Mike Tyson."

If he wins the WBC world title he could be as famous as his compatriot Yao Ming, the retired NBA star.

Should Zhong become a world champion he'll not only be China's boxing superstar as his success could well be the catalyst for the growth of pro boxing in China.

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