(JAN 23)  Good news for boxing fans in general comes today in the form of a joint Press Release issued in London by IMG Media and the AIBA. There are though no major female championships scheduled for 2017,  but next year will be a busy year and of course by then we will also have the new ‘’no headguards’’ rule in place.

That controversial decision alone is sure to attract worldwide attention. It could also be that the AIBA chooses to have women’s WSB Exhibition bouts in 2017 though nothing has been agreed so far and today’s Press Release specifically mentions 2017 but if a success is likely to be further extended as the International Boxing Association strives to control more and more of the Pro sport.

IMG, a global leader in sports, events, media and fashion, today announced that it has reached an agreement with the International Boxing Association (AIBA) for the sale and distribution of the worldwide broadcast rights for its events in 2017, including its flagship World Championships.

The deal will see IMG distribute more than 30 hours of live content from the AIBA Men’s World Championships in Hamburg, Germany next September, while it will also sell rights to the AIBA Continental Championships and the World Series of Boxing.

The agreement is an extension of IMG’s existing relationship with AIBA, which helped AIBA distributed the global rights to the APB/WSB Olympic Qualification Tournament in July.

Kristian Hysén, Vice President and Head of Boxing, IMG Media, said: “We are delighted to be working with AIBA again and expanding our boxing portfolio with these properties. With 280 fighters from 80 countries competing at the World Championships, the Continental Championships being hosted across four different continents, and the World Series of Boxing producing over 100 hours of content, all three events have become an attractive proposition to broadcasters and fight channels on a global scale.”

Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, President, AIBA said: “We are very satisfied with the agreement, which will ensure that AIBA competitions will reach a worldwide audience. We are working hand-in-hand with all our partners from production to delivery to ensure the spectator experience provides the best possible boxing spectacle for our fans.”

A reminder that IMG is a global leader in sports, events, media and fashion, operating in more than 30 countries. The company represents and manages some of the world’s greatest sports figures and fashion icons; stages hundreds of live events and branded entertainment experiences annually; and is one of the largest independent producers and distributors of sports media. IMG also specializes in sports training; league development; and marketing, media and licensing for brands, sports organizations and collegiate institutions. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, a leading global entertainment agency.