Local fight scene takes a step forward into credibility
Boxing is seeing new life in Ukraine, first because of the famous Klitschko brothers, and now because of a deal between FreeDom concert hall and the Professional Boxing League of Ukraine.
On March 29, the league announced that it is partnering with FreeDom to make the casino and club into the top venue for professional boxing in Ukraine.
The club will host monthly installments of Ukraine’s professional boxing championships, which will feature a seven-fight card of 12-round title bouts and even a women’s bout.
According to the agreement, FreeDom’s team will be responsible for filling the seats and maintaining the venue, while the league will be in charge of organizing monthly fights.
In with the new
Zavialov, the league’s vice president, says the agreement marks the first time Vegas-style fights – those that take place in clubs – will be held in Ukraine.
Around $5 million was invested during 2003-2004 into reopening FreeDom (formerly known as Hollywood). The concert hall, located on Frunze away from the city center, now includes a 400-seat hall and huge TV screens.
Steve Farhood, a Showtime cable TV boxing analyst and a former editor of Ring and KO magazines, said it’s a major step.
“[FreeDom’s strategy] has been a successful formula in the U.S.A. for many years, and I’m sure it will work there. A night of boxing almost always provides excellent entertainment, and I’m sure that will be the case with the shows in the Ukraine,” Farhood said.
FreeDom’s boxing cards will cater to new group of fans, particularly wealthy businessmen and entrepreneurs who are seeking a new form of entertainment.
“We feel that the night club setting will bring a lot more excitement to the boxing matches and it will also attract more Ukrainian and ex-pat boxing fans,” said Viktoria Shevchuk, head of FreeDom’s advertising department.
The venue is also a new one for Ukraine’s boxing scene, as previously most such matches were held at the Sports Palace, or even at the circus.
“In FreeDom, unlike many indoor sports venues, seats are located closer to the ring. As a result, visitors have an opportunity to see the fight better. They can even feel the draft from a punch,” said Dmytro Potekhov, co-owner of FreeDom.
“Anybody can pick a spot somewhere in Nakhapetovka, put on a show and conduct a tournament,” agrees Zavialov, “but at FreeDom we wanted to create the most competitive, exciting and professional boxing around.” He says that famous referee Van Der Wille has even visited Kyiv to see the new boxing venue.
Decent work, decent wages
A decade ago professional boxers in Ukraine were about as confident of getting paid for their work as striking coal miners. Zavialov says the new club and the organization it brings to boxing in Ukraine will change that.
“In two to three years, local boxers will be able to make up money on the international scene,” he said.
In the next match, on April 17, local boxers will fight with competitors from countries as distant as Switzerland, Tanzania and Russia.
Just how much money will float around the Ukrainian Boxing Championship hosted in FreeDom is difficult to say.
“The details of boxers’ contracts are, as a rule, not disclosed here. While a local boxer could be paid an honorarium of $100 for a match, for international boxers it could reach several thousands of dollars. But the most important for local boxers is the chance of getting international ratings,” Zavialov said.
Boxing gets boost
In Ukraine, boxing received new impetus when Mykola Lysin, a high-ranking member of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) and a head of Infox, a petroleum trading firm, was appointed as league president, Zavialov said.
Zavialov said since last year, when Lysin was tasked with overseeing the professional boxing industry in Ukraine, Lysin has signed a contract with FreeDom securing exclusive rights for the league to conduct Ukraine’s professional boxing championship at the club.
“What he has done is enable professional boxing to start off on a good foot in 2005,” Zavialov said.
