Sometimes returning to the roots can mean innovating. In boxing, a sport that has evolved to become a great television event, the World Boxing Association (WBA) has tried to make it even more striking. Thus the “Boxing Underground” concept was born and had its debut event on Wednesday night in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia.

Five fights formed a great night of boxing with a twist. Boxers had no way to study their opponents in advance. The fighters only saw each other when they went up into the ring in the presentation at the beginning of the card, with those who participated meeting their opponents. This created a great event filled with suspense, new challenges, and excellent fights.

“In this first edition of Underground Boxing we saw competitive fights and we wanted to offer a differentiated scenario, with exciting fighting and a modality that offers suspense and uncertainty, which gives each confrontation a special attraction,” said architect of this new program, WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza.

“The WBA has always tried to innovate and after months of planning, an event like this could be realized in which the public wins and the fighters win, who are the stars. We will continue to work on refining this concept,” continued Mendoza.

Medellin’s Alejandro Munera was the star, demonstrating the reason why he is nicknamed “El Salvaje,” (the Savage) as he demolished Jaider Esquiva in the third round in the super lightweight class.

“In this format, you have to adapt immediately. Knowing your opponent just minutes before the fight changes everything and you must know how to correct on the fly,” said Munera. “Boxing is a fairly traditional sport and it is good that the essence is not lost. It is very important to innovate with these types of proposals and the WBA has done very well.”

The evening could be seen through the official WBA channel on YouTube in addition to those who attended the fight live. Hundreds were able give their impressions about the program.

The success of Underground Boxing is great news for the oldest sanctioning body in the world and motivates the WBA to continue working on improving the format to offer a fresh and innovative approach.