![](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30938467.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_Celebrities-Attend-The-Buffalo-Bills-Vs-New-York-Jets-Game.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBoxing is one of the world's oldest sports but that doesn't mean it's immune to new-fangled ideas to make it appeal to different generations.<\/p>\n
The emergence of influencer boxing has breathed new life into a sport that's influence has been slowly dwindling for quite some time.<\/p>\n
Individuals like Jake Paul, Logan Paul, and KSI have been at the forefront of the new space which has brought in an entirely new demographic to boxing.<\/p>\n
Aiming to be a place where fighters are given the opportunity to showcase their extraordinary abilities, Ahmed Sheikh's Team Combat League plans to offer just that.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/b>Ebanie Bridges drops eye-popping new collab with Conor McGregor to leave fans 'thirsty'<\/b><\/p>\n
Team Combat League is the world\u2019s only boxing league with a franchise team format where both genders are featured on the same team as well as each match being just one three-minute round.<\/p>\n
Sheikh, a real estate developer and investor, spoke exclusively to Daily Star Sport<\/b> about his motivations for co-founding the league.<\/p>\n
Will Team Combat League reach mainstream success in the near future? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
"Coming into the industry and seeing that there's so much talent on the grassroots level but there really isn't any platform that supports the fighters," he said.<\/p>\n
"Not every person gets an equal chance so we wanted to do something that equally accessible to anybody that feels that they're going to become a fighter.<\/p>\n
"That was the biggest motivation – equal rights – to create something where the fighters come in and have the platform to showcase their skillset."<\/p>\n
While the league are currently in its first year of existence, it wasn't an easy road for Sheikh to get to that point, admitting that he was faced with a lot of hurdles.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30938471.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_at.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
"When we started TCL, I got a lot of no's, I went to different commissions, different managers and the answer was no because they were used to the traditional format of boxing.<\/p>\n
"The hardest part was getting the fighters in because you're signed to different promotions and managers, and I was fighting for their rights initially."<\/p>\n
Sheikh said that the rise of influencer boxing is something he learned from as the demand for it showed that a younger demographic are looking for something different.<\/p>\n
"Even in influencer boxing, we got to learn a lot from it given that the younger generation are looking for something exciting, they're looking for entertainment.<\/p>\n
"Jake Paul is an amazing person, I feel he's pushing himself too much and putting himself and the other opponents he's fighting with in eight and 10 rounds of fighting."<\/p>\n
Austin Trout, a former boxing world champion, now commentates and fights for Team Combat League as he sounded off on the potential that the organisation can reach.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30938501.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Austin-Trout-v-Miguel-Cotto.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
"I believe this is something that can be as big as the Olympics were for the amateurs, but I think this can be even bigger," Trout said.<\/p>\n
"The entertainment is there, the concept is there, once we get some other countries involved, it's going to be an international sensation in my opinion."<\/p>\n