On the first weekend of February 2018, the bell will ring in a new season of World Series of Boxing, AIBA’s unique global team boxing competition that continues to evolve and entertain all around the world as it enters Season VIII. The format will follow the successful three-group, regional regular season and global play-offs, with the Croatian Knights franchise joining for the first time to battle it out for qualification from Group Europe, while Group Asia welcomes a team from India for the first time. Just as it was last year, all of the action can be enjoyed by boxing fans both via local broadcasters and live streaming on WSB social media channels.

“In terms of the quality and excitement of boxing on show, entertainment and production levels and our global audience reach, WSB Season VII set new standards for our sport. In Season VIII, we can now go even further, with India’s vast and growing appetite for boxing adding a new dimension to the 2018 competition and the Croatian Knights bringing with them all of that great nation’s boxing history,” said AIBA Interim President Franco Falcinelli.

Sunday witnessed ten thrilling finals of the 2017 Women’s Youth World Championships in the north-east India city of Guwahati, at which Russia, Kazakhstan, USA and South Korea topped the podium along with the hosts India whose boxers dominated the lighter weight categories. A total of 160 boxers from 31 countries began the week-long tournament, which also made available four quota places for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.

Light Flyweight (48kg)

The day’s first final saw Indian southpaw Nitu looking to stay in close to her opponent, Kazakhstan’s Zhazira Urakbayeva, but it wasn’t until the second round she could really let her hands go, successfully landing some accurate blows against her technically excellent opponent. Urakbayeva was able to work her way back into contention, but Nitu’s patience paid off, and as the Referee raised her hand, the crowd erupted in celebration of their first gold of the day.

The world’s top women’s boxing prospects will descend on the Indian city of Guwahati in 15 days’ time for the start of the 2017 AIBA Women’s Youth World Championships. Running from 19-26 November, it is the first time that a standalone competition for the age group has taken place, reflecting the growth of the sport and level of talent coming through in the new Olympic cycle. Tokyo 2020 will see the women’s elite boxing tournament extended from three to five weight classes for the first time.

One of the greatest female boxers of all time, India’s Mary Kom will be the AIBA Ambassador for the tournament, an icon for young women not just in her native country but to aspiring boxers the world over. The embodiment of dedication, fair play and the transformative potential of the sport, Mary Kom holds no fewer than five Elite World titles and has two Olympic appearances to her name. Few boxers have done more to spread boxing’s core values and inspire new audiences to take up the sport, making her the ideal choice to also represent AIBA at this month’s IOC Athletes’ Forum.

The XIX edition of the AIBA Men’s World Championships begin in Hamburg, Germany on 25 August, with 279 of the world’s best boxers coming together for nine days of Elite action in the city’s Sporthalle venue. In total, 85 nations will be represented, up from 69 in Doha two years ago, underlining AIBA’s successful efforts to expand the pool of boxing talent and growth of the sport around the globe in recent years.

“Hamburg is ready, AIBA is ready, and the world is ready to once again witness boxing’s most prestigious tournament put the focus firmly back where it should be, on the sport we love, promote and support. The mixture of defending champions, Olympic champions, experienced athletes and exciting first-time debutants is set to make this one of the most competitive and unpredictable World Championships in memory, and the partners we are working with will make it one of the biggest in AIBA history,” said AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.