MUMBAI: Algeria Desert Hawks has replaced Mumbai Fighters in World Series of Boxing for the semi-professional league`s second season starting later this month.

Algeria comes in after the TransStadia-owned Mumbai Fighters` called it quits after taking part in one season. There are 12 teams and winners in different categories getting direct qualification to the Olympics.

Stakeholders in the India-based Franchise will sit-out WSB Season III in order to maximise its long-term impact on the boxing world both technically and commercially.

Aiba president, WSB Board chairman Dr Ching Kuo-Wu said,"Like all Indian boxing fans and media, over the past few years AIBA has witnessed the impressive rise of Indian Boxing and its performance on the global stage. With the laws of the game changing from the classic amateur to the professional style of boxing, we want to ensure that India is in a position to do well in all the three AIBA platforms: Olympic Boxing, WSB and the soon to be launched AIBA Professional Boxing (APB). Aiba will be working with the IABF towards helping them make this transition as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible. India needs time to devise a development programme to educate and prepare its boxers for professional style boxing so they can compete competitively at the highest level."

The IABF and WSB?s Indian franchise will now work in tandem towards the same goal with AIBA?s guidance.

Meanwhile with Algeria coming on board, the WSB has representation across the globe. The Americas (Argentina, Mexico and the USA), Europe (Azerbaijan, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Russia and Ukraine) and Asia (Kazakhstan) are already a part of the event.

Dr Ching-Kuo Wu said, "After Argentina, Ukraine, Poland and Great Britain, I am extremely pleased to welcome another new Franchise to World Series of Boxing Season III, especially one from a continent that has not yet tasted WSB."