Boxer Akhil Kumar suffers muscle tear

Mumbai: Ace pugilist Akhil Kumar is likely to miss Mumbai Fighters` crucial bout against Los Angeles Matadors here on December 9 due to a muscle tear.

"As for now, he has been asked to take rest for two weeks and then the team will take a call," a team official said here on Monday. The light-weight boxer is yet to represent the team in a bout. Mumbai Fighters have played two matches this season in Group A and lost both. The team got a walk-over in their third encounter against Bangkok Elephants. Mumbai Fighters, with four points, are placed fifth in the six-team table. The upcoming match against LA Matadors is crucial for the Mumbai side as they need to win it to keep themselves in the hunt for quarterfinal spot. Meanwhile, the Fighters will host LA Matadors at the specially-designed T-Box Mobile Arena at Inorbit Mall in suburban Malad. The unique initiative to host a boxing match at a mall will change the way the sport is perceived, organisers said. Team Principal Udit Sheth said, "With T-Box Mobile Arena, people will enjoy the match from a certified safe arena, which is approved for quality as per global standards and will be a great change from regular unstable scaffolding." "It is really an innovative step to enhance the sport as well as the boxer`s name. It will attract a lot of new spectators. It is a good way of promoting boxing," Kumar said. P K Muralidharan Raja, secretary general of Indian Boxing Federation, said, "The initiative of hosting a boxing match in a specially-built arena will be exciting and take boxing to the masses." PTI