Boxing?s cruiserweight and super middleweight divisions will be at the forefront of the sport with a major tournament later this fall and recent announcements as to who will enter could make this one of the biggest boxing tournaments ever.
The World Boxing Super Series will have two tournaments, one for super middleweight and one for cruiserweights, and each will be an eight-man single elimination tournament. The latest addition to the World Boxing Super Series? cruiserweight tournament is WBA ?regular?cruiserweight champion Yunier Dorticos, who was recently elevated from his interim champion status after Beibut Shumenov vacated his belt.
The super middleweight division also got its first entry with the addition of George Groves announcing his entry.
Currently, there are only five total boxers announced for the World Boxing Super Series:
Cruiserweight tournament:
- Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KO): IBF cruiserweight champion
- Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KO): WBC cruiserweight champion
- Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KO): Former WBC and current IBF Intercontinental cruiserweight champion
- Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KO): WBA "regular" cruiserweight champion
Super Middleweight tournament:
- George Groves (26-3, 19 KO): WBA "super" super middleweight champion
Richard Schaefer, who is co-promoting the tournament with Kalle Sauerland, said there are plenty more big names to be announced.
"Right now, we have got three undefeated cruiserweight world champions plus a top-ranked contender who is a former world champion," Schaefer said. "There are four more spots to be filled in the cruiserweight competition. We will make sure they will be exciting names and fighters the fans want to see."
The draw for each tournament is supposed to take place on a date to be determined in July in Monte Carlo, Monaco. In each weight class, the four top seeds will select their quarterfinal opponent from the four unseeded boxers on a live TV show. The tournaments are supposed to start in September with the quarterfinals. The semifinals are expected to take place in early 2018 and the finals to be held in May 2018. The winner of each will take home the Muhammad Ali Trophy.