- Distingued Boxers of National and International fame to participate in the event including Mr Neeraj Goyat- 3-time WBC Asia Title Holder
- The theme is “Punch it before it knocks you out” (for creating awareness on substance abuse)
- Matches to be held over 2 days i.e., 9th and 10th of April 2022
Bengaluru, 9th April 2022: Manipal Academy of Higher Education unveiled their Maiden, first of its kind Mega Boxing Event at the MIT Student Plaza today. The event called “MAHE Manipal Fight Night” will include the participation of prominent boxers of National and International fame. The theme of the event is “Punch it before it knocks you out”- for creating awareness on Substance Abuse. The event is presented by, Super Boxing League (SBL) at MAHE in association with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation (NTT), co-sponsored by i-On, D-VIOS, D2L Corporation, Searce, and TK Elevator.
The grand event was kicked off today by 3-time WBC Asia Title Holder and 1st Indian Boxer in WBC World Ranking, Mr Neeraj Goyat, in the presence of Cdr ( Dr) Anil Rana, Director –MIT-MAHE, Dr Vinod Nayak, Secretary Sports Council- MAHE; Mr SP Kar, Director, Directorate of PR, Media & Social Media Cell – MAHE; Prof Balakrishna Rao, Director-IT & Digital-MAHE; Dr Geetha Maiya, Director- Student Affairs-MAHE; Mr Vittaldas Bhat- Director, Purchase-MAHE; Col Prakash Chandra, Director, General Services – MAHE along with MAHE officials and students.
Mr Neeraj Goyat won the title of “India’s most promising boxer” in 2008 and was the first Indian boxer to have made it to WBC World Rankings. He is 3-time WBC Asia Title Holder and was recently appointed as the goodwill ambassador for the World Boxing Council in India. He is the only Indian to have been given this honour. In his role as an ambassador, Mr Neeraj will represent the World Boxing Council in India and encourage the culture of Boxing by introducing it to a broader audience.
8 boxing matches will be held over a span of two days i.e., the 9th and 10th of April 2022 at the MIT Quadrangle from 6:30 pm onwards, with 4 matches taking place each day. The participating players will compete in various weight divisions/categories like Super Feather Weight, Super Light Weight, Super Middle Weight, Light Heavyweight, and Welter Weight.
Dr Vinod Nayak, Secretary MAHE Sports Council said “At MAHE aspiring athletes will always be given opportunities and state-of-the-art sports facilities at MARENA, along with well-qualified trainers to enhance their sporting abilities. We believe our students have great potential to succeed at both National and International levels. This event will further light up that fire in them and provide them with the motivation to seriously consider sports as a professional career”
Mr SP Kar, Director, Directorate of PR, Media & Social Media Cell, MAHE “We are extremely proud and excited to be holding a mega-event like this for the first time. Sports play an important role in the overall development of a student’s personality, especially one like boxing which requires physical prowess, grit, and quick thinking. MAHE always has strived for the overall well being of the student community and that is why we have also taken up the issue of substance abuse awareness through our event theme “Punch it before it knocks you out”.
Day 1 will include the participation of Sangeeta Birdi (British Champion), Neetu (State level Silver Medalist), Nitveer Singh (State Level Gold Medallist), Ankit Kumar (2 times State Level Silver Medallist), Sandeep (2 Times Junior National Champion), Lovepreet (All India University Bronze Medallist), Gurpal Singh (Under 19 State Level Silver Medallist) and Akashdeep Singh (Silver Medallist State Level)
The second day will feature the most anticipated match of the event- the face-off between Mr Neeraj Goyat and Mr Suresh Pasham (National Medallist 2018 and University National Champion)
Day 2 will also see Vikas Phangal (North India Gold Medallist), Sagar Chand (4 Elite National Champ Bronze Medal), Jaspreet Singh (Senior State Level Gold Medallist), Harpal Singh (Gold in TRG-CUM Comp, Ireland), Mandeep Dalal (Gold Medallist, Maharashtra), Max (Rank 13 in German Professional Boxing)