Energised by sponsors Bacchus, the multipurpose indoor games facility Beeline Arena, in active partnership with local channel TV5, will organise the 2013 Bacchus Cambodian Champion of the Ring, giving traditional Cambodian boxing a huge competitive boost.

64 pugilists in the 60kg lightweight class will be divided into eight tournaments, each to be held on a single evening with the eight winners qualifying for December’s grand final.

Winners and losers of first round bouts collect 300,000 riel ($75.27), while the second-round victors cash 500,000 riel as the defeated goes home with 400,000 riel. The champion of the monthly competitions earns 1.8 million riel and a berth in the final phase, while the runner up gets 1.3 million riel.

December’s showpiece will grant 1.5 million riel to the first round winners and a million riel to the losers. Two million riel will be awarded for second round victories and 1.5 million riel for second round losses. The overall winner picks up 10 million riel and the championship belt, while the losing finalist gets six million riel. Therefore, with each round prize added up, the 2013 Bachus Champion of the Ring stands to walk away with a total of 16.1 million($4,025), a tidy sum for a Cambodian boxer.

The first of the eight monthly events is on Friday May 3, with all the fights aired live on TV5 from 5:30pm. The first round match-ups have been drawn already, with Soung Panha taking on Phong Samphors, Viva Savy facing Phan Vibol, Sol Ama pitted against Long Bunrath and Ei Outh matched with Mon Phanara.

“This is an exciting venture we in Beeline Arena are proud to present. I am thankful to TV5 for their collaboration, I am grateful to Bachus Energy Drinks for their generous title sponsorship and I would like to acknowledge the support we have got from a host of other co-sponsors,” General Manager of Beeline Arena Charles Julliard told the Post yesterday.

Alhough TV5 has organised similar events in the past, there is a unique slant to this particular series which offers action-packed entertainment every month leading to a thrilling climax in December.

The event is sanctioned by the Cambodian Boxing Federation and is backed by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. 

Additional reporting Yeun Ponlok