ABAP to study AIBA professional scheme

MANILA, Philippines – Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president Ricky Vargas was unsure of how the professional scheme of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)-sanctioned governing body AIBA (Association Internationale de Boxe) would impact on the country’s drive for an Olympic gold medal but kept the door open to joining the World Series of Boxing (WSB) after engaging foreign proponents in a 2 1/2-hour discussion at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati the other night.

The WSB is AIBA’s initial attempt to enter the pro ranks and if plans materialize, will be launched in September 2010 with four city-based franchises each in Europe, the Americas and Asia. A franchise will be bannered by at least 10 boxers, two per designated weight class. The five divisions recognized by the WSB are bantamweight, lightweight, middleweight, lightheavyweight and heavyweight.

“We will study the proposal carefully,” said Vargas after meeting with WSB chief operating officer Ivan Khodabakhsh of Germany and IMG senior vice president Julian Brand of England. “Our participation as a city franchise involves a large investment but it’s not about the money but how the league will be managed. As far as the ABAP is concerned, we will evaluate the proposal on the basis of two considerations----first, its relevance to our Olympic goal and second, its commercial viability.”

Vargas was joined in the meeting by ABAP secretary-general Patrick Gregorio and executive director Ed Picson. Khodabakhsh and Brand flew in from Seoul where they began their three-city, six-day Asian “roadshow” tour. They left yesterday for New Delhi. Next month, the pair will visit Kazakhstan and Shanghai, hoping to draw interest from more prospective Asian franchisees.

The visitors intend to sign memoranda of understanding with candidate franchises before deciding on the 12 cities by August. A franchisee is required to pay a fee of at least $500,000 a year for 10 years to join the pro league. If there are more than 12 cities interested to enter the WSB, a bidding will be conducted to determine the final cast.

The WSB is owned by a Swiss-based company where AIBA has 75 percent control and IMG, the London-based global sports entertainment company, 25 percent. It will be managed by a four-man Board with AIBA president Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu of Taiwan as chairman.

Khodabakhsh named candidate cities Mexico City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Montreal in the Americas, London, Paris, Milan, Moscow and Munich in Europe and Shanghai, Seoul, Busan, New Delhi and Manila in Asia.

“The WSB will reunite the broader boxing world and its grassroots foundation and provide a bridge between Olympic boxing and professional boxing,” explained Khodabakhsh, pointing out that fighters who turned pro after the Beijing Olympics will be allowed to compete in the WSB and retain their Olympic eligibility.

Under the WSB format, each franchise will battle the three other city teams in the region twice at home and twice on the road during the regular season from September to December. That means a franchise will compete in six home and six road dual meets. Each face-off is made up of five bouts of five three-minute rounds. The winners of each continental group advance to the semifinals with the best second-place finisher, regardless of region, starting in January. The finals will be held in a neutral country. After the team competitions, a point system will determine the top two boxers in each weight category and the 30 fighters will dispute individual world championships in 10-round bouts. In both the team and individual competitions, scoring will be the 10-point system per round and fighters will not wear vests or headgear.

Khodabakhsh said a franchise will enlist at least three imports. “We understand that some countries may not be competitive in certain weight classes so we are organizing a draft system where fighters from foreign countries may be chosen to reinforce particular teams,” he continued. “Each fighter has a salary range so a drafting team is able to evaluate the economics of recruiting a fighter from the pool. This is where balance comes in – the balance of determining what a team needs to be competitive and what the team needs to be commercially viable.”

Khodabakhsh said the WSB offers a “clear-cut” path for a fighter’s development from the club level to the national, international, premier and professional ranks without leaving the AIBA fold. The implication is without the WSB, fighters who gain global recognition in AIBA tournaments are eventually lost to the WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF and other professional governing bodies.

Vargas called the WSB an “interesting” concept in that it provides AIBA with a vehicle to hold on to Olympic fighters bred through the amateur system and share in their value as professionals.

“There are many questions left unanswered,” said Vargas. “Will our fighters become more competitive in the Olympics through the WSB? Are the WSB rules cast in stone with franchisees having no say? What is the guarantee of continuity if the AIBA leadership changes? In the same way, if the ABAP leadership changes, what will happen to the country’s participation in the WSB? Are the fighters considered tradable assets? What are the provisions for an exit clause? We are not questioning the soundness of the concept but only seeking clarification on how the WSB will be managed.”

Khodabakhsh said he will provide Vargas more information and details about the WSB proposal in two weeks.