Amir Khan to set up professional boxing league in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan-origin British boxer Amir Khan has expressed his desire to set up the Super Boxing League in Pakistan.

The renowned light-welterweight professional boxer who is currently in Pakistan to spend Eid-ul-Azha, announced his desire to set up a professional boxing league in the country.

He said that he has a great setup in England, and the Amir Khan Academy has found six to seven medal winners, Olympic athletes as well as professional and amateur players.

“I want to do something for Pakistan, and give something back. This is the place where my father and mother were born,” he said while speaking to media on Monday.

“We are going to start a new league in Pakistan called the Super Boxing League,” he announced.

He said the idea was taken from his partner who set up a similar league in India, which made him realise that the idea can be replicated in Pakistan as well.

“Pakistan has better, stronger talent, and we decided to bring the it here.”

There will be eight players taking part from cities across Pakistan including Lahore, Islamabad, Sialkot, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Multan, and Faisalabad.

He also announced that women will also be part of the league, saying that there are a lot of Pakistan girls involved in Pakistan who want to become fighters but have not been given opportunity.

There will be point-based system in the league, and the title will be organised by World Boxing Council and will enable local boxers to win a WBC belt.

The criteria for selection said that there will local academies in various cities run by professional coaches who will conduct trials and finalise the eight players.

Amir Khan said this was just a soft launch and he will return by the end of the year for the formal launch. He said he will be starting the league either in December or early next year.

British High Commissioner Thomas Drew, who was present here, appreciated the role of Pakistan as an ambassador for sports in the country. He said he will try to convince the England cricket team to visit Pakistan and promote sports at international level in the country.