President’s Speech for APB Announcement

Dear National Member Federations and global boxing

family, ladies and gentlemen,

I am here today to make an historical announcement about

the future of AIBA and our sport with the hopes of

enlightening the lives and dreams of many boxers.

In 2007 at the AIBA Extraordinary Congress held in

Chicago, we set together a new mission for AIBA in order

to govern the sport of boxing in all its forms. Since then,

including the launch of the World Series of Boxing, we have

strived our time and efforts to realize our reform plans and

long-term goals.

The launch of the World Series of Boxing gave some great

motivation and belief that our sport could be transformed as

one of the highest reputable and recognized sports around

the world. Although it was by no means easy to launch a

new team-based global boxing competition in today’s

competitive market, we can look back on the first season

with pride.

Today, the AIBA Executive Committee has unanimously

approved the creation of another revolutionary program

which is the AIBA Professional Boxing program called APB.

The main reasons to develop AIBA’s own professional

boxing program are as follows:

 First of all, I would like to change AIBA as the ultimate

responsible body for the boxer’s entire boxing career

including amateur and professional and would like to

give more opportunities to all our boxers to compete

and live in a better boxing world with a stable financial

status and as respected role models for young

generations.

 I would like to make of AIBA the true governing body to

support all National Federations and grassroots

including clubs by generating more revenues from the

APB program.

 I am also deeply determined to change the image and

reputation of our sport with transparency, popularity

and social contribution by taking the responsibility of

managing the destinies of the sport of boxing in all

forms

 I am determined to launch professional boxing under

the umbrella of AIBA so that we will be the true and

respected leader of our sport, and not any other

organization.

The two core programs in AIBA Professional Boxing such

as an Individual Ranking Competition and a Worldwide

Competition were approved.

In the Individual Ranking Competition, all APB boxers will

compete at different levels representing their country but

with some emphasis on individual glory. This program will

start immediately at the time of the APB launch.

The Worldwide Competition will be a global event for which

each National Member Federation can send APB boxers to

represent its country. This program will be developed a few

years after the launch of AIBA Professional Boxing.

The APB boxers will be categorized in three different

divisions:

1. World Ranking

2. Continental Ranking

3. National Ranking divisions

The Worldwide Division will feature the top 20 boxers in

each weight category, fighting over 10 rounds for ranking

competitions and 12 rounds for title matches.

The Continental Ranking Competition will feature boxers

ranked 21-50 in each weight category, fighting over 8

rounds for ranking competitions and 12 rounds for title

matches.

National Ranking Competitions will feature boxers ranked

51 and below in each weight category, fighting over 6

rounds for Ranking Competitions and 10 rounds for title

matches.

With the launch of APB, we will also change the Technical

& Competition Rules for all of our programs. This means,

that we aim to take headguards off in all elite men

competitions in AIBA Amateur, WSB and AIBA

Professional Boxing programs.

However, we decided to maintain headguards for Women,

Youth and Junior categories.

For the scoring system for all competitions, from the time of

the 1st season of APB which will be during the Spring of

2013, we will use the current WSB scoring system for all

AIBA Amateur and Professional Boxing competitions.

We will invite the current AIBA (AOB) registered boxers

who wish to turn to professional boxing to APB with an age

limit from 19 years old until 40 years old. In addition, in

order to truly develop the APB ranking competitions with

the best boxers around the world, for the 1st season only,

APB will accept current professional boxers to join APB

with limited terms and conditions.

In addition, most importantly, we will allow these APB

boxers to compete in the Olympic Games with limited terms

and conditions and we plan to make this dream come true

from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

All boxers in AIBA programs, AOB, WSB and APB, will only

be selected through the full cooperation with our National

Member Federations. This means that the boxers will

remain as registered boxers of National Federations,

although they turned to AIBA Professional Boxing.

It is planned to identify and select the best AOB boxers for

APB within a one year time period until the Olympic Games.

As we are launching a massive program in our organization,

our financial conditions must be stabilized in order to

operate all necessary means for the success of these 3

core programs.

Therefore, we will establish AIBA’s own marketing arm

called the Boxing Marketing Arm (BMA). BMA will be the

main promoter for boxers and will organize all future APB

competitions.

In addition, BMA will be the ultimate marketing tool to

generate all necessary revenues for AOB, WSB and APB

by controlling all commercial rights of these 3 organizations.

In this regard, we have already secured enough seed fund

to begin our operation for APB and BMA.

We will start AIBA Professional Boxing with a program with

National Member Federations having strong wills and a

determination to change our sport to a better commanding

position in the international sports community and Olympic

movement. Therefore, we will grow step-by-step by

satisfying continuous and stable achievements in each year

without hasting to achieve our goals within a short period of

time.

This year, with the AIBA Executive Committee’s approval,

we will complete both business plans for APB and BMA

and start to organize the APB structure in AIBA.

Then, in 2012, we will register both APB and BMA to sign

top boxers from both AOM and current professional boxing

program.

Finally, at the beginning of 2013, the AIBA Professional

Boxing competitions will start.

I need your support. I need your participation. Trust me and

your Executive Committee members. We need your

endorsement that we are doing the right thing for our young

generation to compete in boxing with some long and bright

hopes and dreams.

I believe APB will boost the continuous success of WSB. I

also believe APB will greatly support and assist much more

all the boxing programs in your countries.

I would like to thank you for listening to this announcement

and cordially request your full participation with some

patience and support on AIBA and boxing.