In a new deal brokered by the Boxing Federation of Russia, the country’s top sports club Dynamo is set to take over the Moscow franchise in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) with immediate effect. The team takes the new name Dynamo Moscow and will have its first match against the Istanbulls away on Friday, January 28th before the first home match on February 5th in a new home venue.
Unhappy with the Moscow team’s performance so far in the season (the team is currently bottom of the European conference after six weeks of competition), the Boxing Federation of Russia intends to boost the squad with the country’s top national boxers, whilst retaining the foreign boxers already contracted to the Moscow team: lightweight Alisher Mahmdudov and bantamweight Ziyodulla Hadiyatullaev, both from Uzbekistan, and light heavyweight Zhavlonbek Usmanov from Kyrgyzstan. The team-up with Dynamo means that the best Russian boxers will be available to the WSB, since all of the boxers in the Russian national squad box out of Dynamo clubs.
The current Moscow franchise has been in breach of its agreement with the WSB since before the start of the season, notably with respect to non-payment of financial obligations towards the WSB. Despite numerous reminders there has been no attempt by the franchise owner to remedy the situation. The agreement with the current franchise owner has therefore been terminated with immediate effect.
AIBA President and WSB Chairman Dr C. K. Wu welcomed the new agreement: “I am delighted that we have been able to resolve this issue with the help of the Boxing Federation of Russia and Dynamo,” he said. “The WSB will not tolerate any impropriety in any of its franchises and will not hesitate to take action to protect its interests if agreements it has in place are not respected. We have had an excellent start to the inaugural season with universal acclaim from boxers and fans alike. We will not let this be jeopardized.”
Dynamo Moscow competes in the European conference of the WSB against Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder, the Istanbulls and Paris United. The team currently lies fourth in the European conference table with six matches remaining in the 2010-2011 regular season. The top teams from each conference, plus the best second placed team overall, advance to the play-off stage to compete for a place in the team finals. The top two boxers in the individual standings for each of the five weight categories will meet at the Individual Championships, where the winner automatically qualifies for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
