Kritik und Anregungen » aid, Absolutely.The 2017 Winter Clas

It takes winners to sell a sport. In July this year, Indian pro boxing found its redeemer in Vijender Singh. The weigh-in, stare down and trash-talk ahead of his victory on home turf against Australias Kerry Hope, lent it character and swagger. A defeat could have possibly changed the dynamics. Irrevocably.Feeding off the success, the pro dream now stands on the cusp of turning into a bigger eventuality for Indian boxers. With Olympians Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar being the latest to join the pro circuit, five more Indian boxers, it is learnt, will follow suit within the next fortnight.Terming it a natural progression for amateur boxers, Infinity Optimal Solutions (IOS) CEO and managing director Neerav Tomar, India promoters of the reigning WBO Asia Pacific champion Vijender Singh, says that the idea is to create a complete ecosystem for pro boxing in the country. The concept is modelled on the idea of star fighters, says Tomar, To have Vijender, whos the biggest name in Indian boxing and now Akhil and Jitender on board, is an indicator of the potential pro boxing has in India.Set to contest as undercards in Vijender Singhs next fight night in India by the end of this year, Akhil and Jitender, Tomar feels, are names who can bring in the numbers. Its great that all three of us who were at the Beijing Games are now coming together in the pro circuit, says Akhil, It will be a new experience for me and Im really excited.Having won the Commonwealth Games bantamweight gold medal in 2006, Akhil, 35, lost in the quarterfinals of the Beijing Games two years later and was last seen in action at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Jitender, 28, on the other hand, hasnt stepped into a competitive ring since 2010-11. Both, however, beat some strong opponents at the 2008 Games before their eventual loss.A great step in the Indian boxing sphere by @IOSBoxing, @Akhilkumarboxer and @imboxerjitender turn pro!- Mary Kom (@MangteC) 26 October 2016The financial lucre attached to joining the pro ranks is undeniable. With a steadily increasing number of boxers taking the pro route, the world boxing parent body, AIBA, as a workaround, floated its own pro boxing competition - APB - which allows boxers to turn pro while remaining under the patronage of their respective national federations and staying eligible to participate in continental championships. The economics involved in the APB though scarcely match up to even a fraction offered by global leagues. Currently, non APB pro boxers are not allowed to participate in Asian or Commonwealth Games. This year though, in a major step, the AIBA made provision for pro boxers to participate at the Olympics through qualifiers.?Akhil, known to have an open-guarded stance, says his style and preparation would differ largely from that of his amateur days. The gloves are smaller (8 ounce instead of 10 ounce used in amateur boxing) which makes the punches harder, faster and more penetrative, says Akhil, Boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard and Amir Khan have been successful on the pro circuit despite their open stance style. So that gives me hope. Only once training sessions begin would I get a clearer idea of how I can condition my style to suit a pro fight.Observing that Akhil should go conservative in the first few fights to build on confidence, Tomar says hes certain of most Indian boxers eventually making the pro switch. In terms of stardom, money, recognition and the worldwide opportunity to keep fighting on a regular basis, its unparalleled. Pro boxing is a promoter-driven sport. Its a lot like producing a film, he says.A pro boxer begins with four-round bouts which incrementally rise with experience, with the upper limit being 12 rounds. Boxers are paid on per fight basis with their opponents being decided upon and contracts inked and signed well in advance by promoters. Matchmaking is, in fact, one of the most strategic and carefully weighed decisions taken by promoters, the idea being to underscore their fighters star status and ensure an unbeaten record.Well before Vijender, Indias V Devarajan, a World Cup bronze medallist,?made a foray into professional boxing in the 90s; an experience the 42 year-old recalls with a measure of fondness and a tinge of hurt. Terming it a positive trend, Devarajan adds that the pro culture would help build a distinct brand, identity and following for the sport. I moved to England to turn pro and realized that it was a whole different world from amateur boxing. Sparring with pro boxers while an amateur helped me improve my footwork since theyre hard hitters, he says, Money is all that matters in the pro circuit. The boxers welfare isnt a major priority for managers. I suffered some pretty serious injuries but wasnt even enquired about. As long as youre winning its great, once you lose, youre as good as a race horse with a broken leg, waiting to be shot.Agreeing that a lot was pinned on the outcome of Vijenders July bout in New Delhi this year, Tomar says its important for the Beijing Olympics bronze medalist, whos won six of his seven bouts so far by Knock Outs, to extend his winning streak for the interest in pro boxing in the country to peak.We are riding on one mans superstardom.Francisco Cervelli Pirates Jersey . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. 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Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night.TORONTO -- Just about every Canadian kid of a certain vintage has a Wayne Gretzky spot memory: his 50th goal in 39 games, his first Stanley Cup, his trade from Edmonton to Los Angeles that broke our countrys collective heart. Somewhere, not so deep in the recesses of our now-adult brains, some moment in Gretzkys life and some moment in ours have been tied together like a knot.I was 7 years old in the summer of 1981. I went to a movie with some friends. My family did not have a lot of money, but I somehow managed to get a Mr. Big chocolate bar out of the deal.Inside the wrapper, there was a number for a contest. If Gretzky scored that same number of points the following season, you could mail in your wrapper and be entered into a drawing for a fabulous prize. In my head, that prize has become the sum of the known universe. It was probably an Oilers sweater.I opened my chocolate bar as carefully as Charlie Bucket, and I can picture it as clearly now as I could then. In stamped blue numbers, inside a little black box: 212.Now I need to impress upon you how gullible a child I was. I believed in everything. I am 42, and I still believe in magic. I believe that the human spirit can conduct electricity. I believe that love can be transmitted across space as surely as a satellite signal.But even back then, I didnt believe for a millisecond that a hockey player could score 212 points in a single season. I tossed my Mr. Big wrapper.Gretzky collected 92 goals and 120 assists that season. Later I had a pennant that commemorated that season, so I could look at those otherworldly totals whenever I turned my head toward that spot over my bed. Combined with that lost Mr. Big wrapper -- I still wonder if any dreamer out there kept his long enough to claim the prize -- those numbers made an impression on me that I carry to this day: Never underestimate greatness or our capacities for it.On Tuesday at the World Cup of Hockey, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman introduced Gretzky as the official ambassador for the leagues centennial. On Nov. 22, 1917, five men met at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal. Four days later, they founded the NHL. Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, the league will stage a yearlong celebration of its sometimes surprising longevity. Gretzky will prreside over it, less as the man he is than as the symbol he has become.ddddddddddddretzky hasnt been involved in hockey in any real capacity since his failed coaching tenure with the then-Phoenix Coyotes ended in 2009. The fallout of that franchises bankruptcy was ugly, with the league eventually cutting Gretzky a check for more than $7 million in unpaid salary in 2013. In his semi-exile since, Gretzky has been seen more often on golf courses, watching his son-in-law, Dustin Johnson, compete, than in hockey rinks.Now hes back. Bettman wasnt shy in his introductions. Entering this season, he said, 7,435 players have played at least one NHL game. Through all the years, hockey has elevated us, he said. One player in particular truly was transformational, a player who made the impossible commonplace on the ice and who off the ice transcended hockey and transcended sport.How has hockey lived without such a man, and how has he lived without it?Listen, a relaxed and well-looking Gretzky said. Ive always said this thousands of times: Its the greatest game in the world. Everything thats happened in my life is because of the National Hockey League and the game of hockey. So when the commissioner called me a couple of months ago and asked me if I wanted to be involved, I said, Absolutely.The 2017 Winter Classic will be in St. Louis. The All-Star Game will be in Los Angeles. Given his connection to those cities, Gretzky probably would have been at those events anyway. But to have him there in an official capacity, the face of the game once again, seems like a necessary correction. Its a great thrill for me, he said.For us too. Hockeys future, like all futures, is foggy. A questionable expansion to Las Vegas, the dearth of Stanley Cups for Canadian franchises, the less-than-grand success of this World Cup and the state of the international game -- each raises more questions than answers.Wayne Gretzky has never left our memories. In some ways, hes been here all along. But if hockey is going to find the solutions required to last another 100 years, it wont hurt to have the magician who made 212 the right answer around. ' ' '