British professional boxer Amir Khan is unfazed by the International Boxing Association's withdrawal of support to his planned league in India, saying he won't allow “politics” to bog him down.
“The Politics of boxing does not stop champions.. we only know how to Hit Harder! Get ready for some thrilling action,” Amir tweeted a day after AIBA decided against backing his Super Boxing League (SBL).
The SBL is set to roll out from July 7 to August 12 this year. It will feature eight franchises and each team will comprise six players (five men and one woman with six back-up players per team).
The competition will be in six different weight categories with bouts of four rounds of three minutes each. SBL had claimed association with AIBA Pro Boxing (APB), stating that the technical officials were to be provided by it.
However, the world body backed out despite “positive preliminary discussions” after the Boxing Federation of India refused to allow its boxers in the event.
“…the prerequisite from the start was that these plans needed to be in synergy with our trusted partner on site, the national federation, Boxing Federation of India and it's president Mr (Ajay) Singh,” an AIBA spokesperson told PTI.
“We understand that this is not the case following valuable feedback from BFI and therefore AIBA will not be pursuing this opportunity any further. AIBA would like to wish Mr Bill Dosanjh (the event's India partner) well for his project in the future,” it added.
Amir, a two-time world champion and an Olympic silver- medallist, will be the face of the league in India and would be significantly involved in its running.