WSB quarterfinal Ukraine vs. Azerbaijan at 7,000 seat Palace of Sports in Kiev

The concept of a professional boxing team competition has been extremely well received and now WSB occupies an important place in the sporting landscape in the country. Now in order to give more people the opportunity of seeing their heroes battling it out in the ring, Ukraine Otamans versus Azerbaijan Baku Fires will be held at the Palace of Sports in Kyiv, a state-of-the-art 7000 seater arena that will guarantee a sensational night of boxing action.The match will be live on 2+2 instead and the TV ratings are expected to once again surpass the national football league average. The Otamans are giving boxing a new lease of life in Ukraine and many believe that at this rate, their popularity could surpass even football and make it a the number one sport in the country.

Volodymyr Prodyvus, Ukrainian Boxing Federation President:

“Following the Olympic games in London I have set a new goal for boxing in Ukraine: become not only the most successful sport in the nation, but also the most popular. We have done a lot not to let go of the hype generated by the five Olympic medals in boxing. We arranged a tour around Ukraine last October to support the development of boxing that featured all members of our Olympic boxing team.

Despite many offers coming from top professional promoters, we then kept all our champions and they are a part of Otamans. We found the right arguments for them and they are now happy with their choice! With the Otamans, we managed to get government backing, we created exiting shows and managed our PR in a way that raised the popularity of boxing so much, that the undisputed spot of football as the number one sport in Ukraine doesn’t look that secure anymore. Now, that the team is in the quarterfinals we are moving to the largest indoor arena of Ukraine, the Kyiv Palace of Sports. Can we fill 7000 seats? I don’t see why not!”

Pound for pound king Vasyl Lomachenko stated, “WSB gave me a great motivation boost to train harder again and I enjoyed fighting without head guard a lot! Boxing is my life and if I can help it become the most popular sport in Ukraine, I would be extremely glad! Hopefully, all Otamans can produce top performances in 2 matches against Azerbaijan and we can organize another match in the Palace of Sports in the semi-finals.

Quarter-finals (1st leg: March 22-23; 2nd leg: March 29-30)

• Azerbaijan Baku Fires vs. Ukraine Otamans
• Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder vs. Hussars Poland
• Mexico Guerreros vs. British Lionhearts
• Astana Arlans Kazakhstan vs. Argentina