Sangram Singh wins Champion's Pro Kushti inaugural bout

Mohali, Feb 7: Champion's Pro Kushti's inaugural match got off to a thrilling start with local favourite and international wrestler Sangram Singh beating American Robbie E 17-6.

The event has been marketed as a blend of professional wrestling and traditional 'mallayuddh'.

After the match, the organisers, as part of its 'Kushti for a Cause' donated Rs 51,000 to a fund managed by a private hospital.

Champion's Pro Kushti has taken it upon itself to support various social causes and help the needy, the event's organisers claimed.

The organisers said that the Pro Kushti has been started with the aim of restoring the pristine glory of Indian wrestling and nurturing the finest wrestling talents across the hinterlands.

To fulfill this dream, Sangram has teamed up with entrepreneur and wrestling enthusiast Janardan Pandey to form Champion's Pro Kushti in association with World Wrestling Professionals (WWP), South Africa.

"I am thrilled by the encouragement and support we received today from the people of Mohali. It was an honour to play in front of them. We have launched Champion's Pro Kushti to revive the passion for the game of wrestling in India, the country where it actually originated," said Sangram.

He said they were looking to promote Indian wrestling, especially in tier-II towns and beyond, where the country's most promising talents are waiting to be tapped.

Sangram also appealed to the youth to channelise their energies in positive direction by taking up sports.

According to Pandey, "through Champion's Pro Kushti, we will give aspiring wrestlers a platform to hone and showcase their skills. We will equip our wrestlers with the right combination of traditional 'mallayuddha' and modern grappling techniques".

Elaborating on the future plans of Champion's Pro Kushti, Pandey said, "We will open training and competition centres at 10 locations across the country in the next two years, covering tier II and III towns as well as villages. We have decided on seven of them, including Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Kanpur, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Mangalore and Kolkata, and are in the process of finalising the other three. We will spot and adopt promising wrestlers, provide them the best of trainers and training."

There will be two more matches now, featuring Sangram and international WWP wrestlers, the schedule for which will be announced later.