AREQUIPA, Peru – The International Boxing Association (IBA) has teamed up with Kunlun Star to launch a new boxing league in China, which will feature the world’s best boxers, including Cuban champions.
The first two divisions to compete will be 63.5 kg and 71 kg, with the bouts set to begin on November 16, 2024 at the Beijing National Indoor Stadium, state media reported. Cubadebate.
In these categories, the first Cubans to compete will be Erislandy Álvarez and Roniel Iglesias, Olympic champion and two-time champion, respectively.
In the IBA Kunlun Fight League, boxers will fight not only for the title, but also for a cash prize of two million dollars.
Following an initial draw, the quarter-final pairings will be determined, and the competition will be held in a playoff format. Quarter-final bouts will last six rounds, while semi-finals and finals will be contested over ten rounds.
Others prominent boxers Confirmed to participate are Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha, three-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver medallist; Uzbekistan’s world champion Ruslan Abdullaev; Russian European Games champion Gabil Mamedov; and more renowned wrestlers with proven careers.
Organizers hope the high financial incentive will motivate boxers to give their best in every fight. “We are delighted to partner with Kunlun Star to bring this innovative boxing league to China. This event represents a new era for boxing, where the world’s best athletes will showcase their talent in this format on a global stage,” said Umar Kremlev, IBA President.
The news of the new league in China comes just days after the IBA held the first professional boxing tournament on the island in decades on August 27. “Night of Champions” took place at the Coliseum of the Sports City of Havana.
The tournament was conceived as a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1974 World Amateur Boxing Championships, which were also held in the Cuban capital. This event brought together the main figures of local boxing, who did not disappoint the public by achieving victory in the six fights contested. The winners received prizes of up to 120,000 dollars.
