THOUSANDS of sports fans will descend on Cardiff this summer for a boxing extravaganza that will net the city an estimated ?2m.
Champion boxers from across the globe such as Lennox Lewis and Manny Pacquiao are expected to arrive in Cardiff for a three-day international festival from July 29 to 31.
As well as champions Lewis and Pacquiao, Smokin? Joe Frazier, Leon Spinks and reigning heavyweight champion David Haye are also among scores of big names being sounded out by organisers.
Kicking off with a world premiere of Howard Winstone feature film Risen, the event incorporates live bouts and top music, culminating in the WBC Night of Champions.
Known as the ?Oscars? of the boxing world, the gala awards dinner was first held in Cancun, Mexico, four years ago.
The showpiece at Cardiff International Arena has been backed by the city council, which expects business and tourism to benefit from a star-studded footfall.
Deputy leader Neil McEvoy was instrumental in bringing the festival to Cardiff, and is already in talks to make it a regular event.
?This will be a wonderful event where Wales welcomes the world, as the sport of boxing returns to its heartland,? he said.
?Wales has a rich and proud tradition in the sport, and we continue to punch well above our weight in terms of current and recent world champions.?
He added: ?Now, more than ever, we have to ensure Wales has an international profile and presence.?
Tickets are on sale for as little as ?20 and bookings are already coming in from as far afield as Australia, the Far East and Latvia.
Around 10,000 visitors are expected in total, on a weekend considered one of the summer?s quietest.
There is a planned open-top bus ride for boxing greats, and several opportunities for fans to meet their sporting heroes.
Day two of the festival will see the British Olympic Boxing Team take on counterparts from across the globe in their last live tournament before the Commonwealth Games.
Barry?s Andrew Selby, Rhondda?s Lewis Rees and Cardiff?s Fred Evans are among amateur squad members expected to fight on July 30.
Derek Mapp, of the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA), said the team was ?delighted? to be taking part.
?Our boxers see this as a big opportunity to prove their selection for the Commonwealth Games, with the privilege of boxing in front of so many former world champions,? he said.
?It stands to be one of the great nights in this year?s boxing calendar.?
Event organiser Roy Payne expects a carnival atmosphere in the Welsh capital.
?Wales has an affection within the boxing community and the event will give the country a platform,? he said.
?It has huge economic potential and provides a great opportunity for Wales to reach a global audience.
?We?ve had an independent expert carry out an analysis, and he estimates the festival will probably generate an additional ?1-2m for the local economy.?
Mr Payne said Cardiff was a popular choice to become host city, having already received the backing of Manny Pacquiao?s management.
The current WBO world welterweight champion is regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport.
?It?s a hugely popular destination and all the boxers will be staying in the centre of Cardiff,? said Mr Payne.
?All three days are open to the public and you can book your own seat at the table in the company of the greatest gathering of champions in history.?
Jose Sulaiman, president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), said: ?The world of boxing is delighted to be returning to one of the great homes of our sport, a country from which so many great champions and traditions have been nurtured.
?Celebrating the WBC?s Night of Champions in Cardiff will be something we will all remember for years to come.?
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, CIA box office and www.wbcnightofchampions.com
