Kathmandu, April 25

Max Boxing Promotion and Dancing Yak is jointly organising the Champ of Champions, a professional boxing tournament, here at the National Sports Council covered hall next month.

The first-ever professional boxing tournament features 16 players — picked up by boxer and CEO of Max Boxing Promotion Manohar Basnet from different districts. The first round of the competition, a lightweight 61kg bout, which is recognised by World Boxing Council and WBC Asia, will be held on May 19-20.

Eight boxers will make it to the second round which will be held one and half months later, while the remaining schedules would be announced accordingly, informed the organisers at a press meet today. “We have planned to hold the final bout in October,” said Basnet, the seventh National Games gold medallist. While the four semi-finalists will be selected for WBC license, the champion boxer will get an opportunity to take part in the WBC championship.

Basnet, who is better known as Max in the boxing fraternity, said he initiated the move to create a positive environment for the players. “I started playing boxing at a small age and I am a 12-time national champion having won a total of 18 gold medals. But today I have got nothing in my hand. I was totally frustrated and almost gave up,” said Basnet. “I had started this crusade with a loan amount against my two-wheeler and got encouragement from a couple of seniors and friends in this campaign. And it is going to be a reality now,” he added.

Basnet said it took him four years to materialise his dreams of organising the professional boxing and get affiliation from WBC and WBC Asia. “The hard works I have done to get this campaign going is going to be paid off and

I am happy to announce the first-ever professional boxing tournament in the country,” he added.

Chairman of Action for Social Change Binay Jung Basnet, Patron Lal Bahadur Mahat, and Chairman of Creative Environment Preservation Centre Sahadev Raut are among the helping hands of Basnet. “These people supported my campaign and I am grateful to them for their encouragement,” Basnet said. “I moved forward with the campaign after they assured me of financial help.”

Basnet said the estimated budget for the event was Rs 3.3 million and they were ready to spend the amount on their own. “It is not just a boxing tournament, it is also a television show and hopefully we will get sponsors after the first round. Even if the corporate sector does not come in, our team will bear the cost,” he added.

The champion boxer will get Rs 200,000, while the second and third placed players will get Rs 30,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively.