The stage has been set to make Colombo another Las Vegas for boxing as the fifth edition of the ‘Countdown to the Middle East Crown’ series comes to Sri Lanka on November 26.
It will be a realization of a dream for Dubai-based Sri Lankan entrepreneur and boxing enthusiast Dunstan Paul Rozairo who launched this professional boxing series last year with the aim of making the Middle East the hub for the sport.
After successfully organizing four events in Dubai through his event management company DJMC founded in 2019 and named after his kids Darren Joseph and Daniella Jolene, Rozairo has turned his attention to boost the ailing economy of Sri Lanka and tourism by bringing sports and showbiz to the country.
“Series 5 was to be held in India. I decided to move the series to Sri Lanka to support Sri Lanka and its tourism. Having a series in Sri Lanka the benefit that you get is you are going to get a lot of international exposure. As you know professional boxing is happening for the first time in the history of Sri Lanka and this will attract a lot of international promoters and boxing organizers to come over here once they see the facilities that we have,” said Rozairo in an interview with the Sunday Observer after arriving with his entourage on Friday.
He was pleased with the encouragement and support received from Sri Lanka government representatives and departments such as Tourism Minister Harin Fernando, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe and the Tourism Authority for this boxing extravaganza.
“The Sri Lankan authorities have been very helpful. Any department that we approached has been very supportive and helped us 100 per cent. It is very encouraging for us to do more events here and to promote Sri Lanka together with the support we are getting from the government and the public,” said Rozairo, who is managing director for Sheikh Mohammed bin Obaid Thani Al Maktoum, one of the members of the ruling family in the emirate of Dubai.
He was confident the event could be marketed in Sri Lanka despite the dire economic situation in the country and is in discussion with potential sponsors.
“The sponsor has got to understand that because this is an international event, this is the chance to expose their brands to the international market and expand themselves.
“In order for you to expand yourself, your international brand has to be recognized and be known in the international market. You can do that through international events,” said Rozairo whose organization DJMC is into basketball, football and fashion.
They have signed a 10-year agreement with the Filipino basketball series MPBL and have also been invited to conduct events in Saudi Arabia and India. So far DJMC events have been held in the UAE with Sri Lankan singer Yohani featuring in one of them.
He pledged this would not be a one-off event in Sri Lanka. “Everything will pick up as long as you are consistent. If you are not consistent in what you are doing then it’s going to die. I want to continue this event. It has to be a regular event. How I can do that is if I can get financial support from the authorities, from the sponsors, the venues which we are discussing at the moment. Main thing is to make sure Sri Lanka is going to benefit,” he said.
An old boy of St Mary’s College, Dehiwela which has a great boxing history, Rozairo wants to provide boxers in Sri Lanka an opportunity to earn a living once their amateur career is over.
“I was the one who gave Sri Lankan boxers the opportunity to turn professional. It has never happened here. Opening this door for Sri Lankans mean the younger generation can see there is a future for them after their amateur career is over. There is big money in professional boxing. We are creating opportunities for the younger kids so they can look up to something and aim to become world champions,” said Rozairo.
Three Sri Lankans Tharindu Madushanke, Kaumini Hashini and Niraj Wijewardena will feature in the 10-fight card from 14 countries at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium which has a seating capacity of over 5000.
Rozairo reiterated how he has been inspired by the life story of Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and former eight-division world champion.
“He used to be a street fighter in order to earn a living to look after his family. These are opportunities we can create. There can be a talented kid somewhere in the corner who can go right up to become a world champion and put Sri Lanka on the world map. Another thing is getting kids to do sport is very important because it keeps them away from drugs,” he said.
Rozairo has great plans to make Sri Lanka a hub for professional sports events. “There is an opportunity for us to grow in this sport. Not only in this (boxing), I will bring all different sports. This is our first event. I made a request to minister Harin Fernando to announce 2023 as a ‘Year of Events’. We have to look at the long term, at our future, not the present. We are trying to do like Dubai or even more. With the support of the community and government we can create something like Las Vegas,” he said.