NEW DELHI: With the attempted “revolt” by the old guard owning allegiance to Abhay Singh Chautala failing to find any traction, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is going ahead with its plans. The major one being to launch a franchise based boxing league templated on the IPL by the middle of next year.
Speaking about the federation’s immediate future plans, BFI President Ajay Singh said at a press conference here Thursday, “We are planning on holding an Indian Open next year, followed by a league in the middle of the year.”
BFI has already floated a tender for the commercial and organising rights of the proposed pro-style boxing league, for a period of ten years, but has yet to announce a name.
SportzPower can reveal that there are three contenders that have put in bids – IMG-Reliance, Sportzlive Entertainment and a joint bid by Lakshya Media and tennis doubles ace Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport.
Meanwhile in a further boost to the BFI, the executive committee of the Indian Olympic Association, at its meeting held here Thursday, has finally decided to recommend de-recognition of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (Chautala’s fiefdom when it was functioning) to the general body of the IOA.
It is worth noting that though the Sports Ministry had de-recognised the IABF in April 2014, a month after boxing’s world governing body AIBA decided to exclude the Indian federation from its list of members in early March, the IOA has been dilly-dallying on the issue till now.
