India set to host its maiden World Boxing Council India Championship

In what is being billed as a game changer for professional boxing in the country, the World Boxing Council (WBC) has endorsed the Indian Championship fight between the country's two top women boxers Chandni Mehra and Suman Kumari on May 1 in Jalandhar, Punjab.

The winner of the fight, which is part of the India Unleashed-Fight Night organized by LZ Promotions, will become the WBC India champion.

The WBC is one of the four organisations that sanctions professional boxing bouts globally, and this will be India's maiden foray into hosting a title card for two female fighters.


Chandni and Suman are India's No. 1 fighters in lightweight and featherweight categories and will challenge each other in this bout, aiming to become the first WBC India champion across both men and women categories.

"India has a huge potential in men's and women's professional boxing. My focus is on building a platform for the boxers to establish themselves. I would like to thank the WBC for giving Indian female boxers the equal respect and opportunities as their male counterparts,” Parm Goraya, CEO of LZ Promotions, said in a statement.

The green and gold belt had been worn by boxing legends such as Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather, among others, said Goraya.

Brigadier General of Indian Boxing Council (IBC) Muralidharan Raja said, "It's a great development for Indian professional boxing and gives us the confidence that we at IBC are on the right path. This title card would be a game changer for professional boxers as well as boxing in India."