The World Boxing Super Series is proud to announce that the winner of the IBO World Championship between Chris Eubank Jnr. and Arthur Abraham will enter the competition for the inaugural Ali Trophy. The two stars collide at Wembley Arena in London on July 15, with the final spot in the revolutionary bracket-style elimination tournament up for grabs. The winner will enter a star-studded super-middleweight competition that already features WBA Super Champion George Groves, Callum Smith, who will fight for the WBC Diamond Championship, former world champion Juergen Braehmer as well as undefeated challengers Erik Skoglund, Jamie Cox, Avni Yildirim and Rob Brant.
“I look forward to testing myself against the best fighters out there,” said Eubank (24-1, 19 KOs). “The Muhammad Ali Trophy is a great idea and I am thrilled to participate. It would be great to fight George Groves and to take his title away from him but let´s see what the draw in Monaco brings. I am taking one step at a time and right now all my focus is on the fight with Arthur Abraham. With just one win between me and the World Boxing Super Series, I am extremely motivated.”
Abraham (46-5, 30 KOs) has also firmly set his sights on the Muhammad Ali Trophy. “All my focus is on the difficult and spectacular fight next week at Wembley,” he said. I have to and I will defeat Eubank in a big fight. Then things will take off with the World Boxing Super Series, which really is amazing. There are so many great fights in such a short period of time, like blow-by-blow. The boxing fans will really love it. I have been dreaming of having a tournament with the world´s best boxers. I will become the world´s best super-middleweight. This really is the Champions League of Boxing and I am really looking forward to it.”
Roberto Dalmiglio, Comosa´s Head of Management Board, believes that the winner of the hotly-anticipated clash will be a worthy addition to the Muhammad Ali Trophy. “This is great news for the World Boxing Super Series,” he said. “The tournament either gets a multiple world champion who has been a top super-middleweight for many years or an up-and-coming youngster who has the potential to dominate the division for years to come. The fans will get their worth either way. May the best man win. With nine undefeated fighters, seven belts, five world champions and three former champions the Muhammad Ali Trophy has delivered on the promise to pit the best against the best.”
Said Kalle Sauerland, Comosa´s Chief Boxing Officer: “Eubank versus Abraham is a big fight that just got bigger. With the winner going into the tournament, the stakes could not be any higher.”
On Saturday, all participants of the World Boxing Super Series will come face-to-face in Monaco to determine the quarter-final match-ups in a Live Draft Gala, which will be broadcasted in multiple territories and also be streamed live on www.WorldBoxingSuperSeries.com. During the live TV show, the top four seeds will select their opponents from the unseeded boxers. The seeding, which will be set by the Comosa Board, will be announced later today.
As the IBO Champion, Eubank Jnr. has been granted the right to represent this pairing in Monaco. “With just one week between the Draft Gala and their fight, Chris Eubank Jnr. could not come down personally but will be represented by his father Chris Eubank Senior, who would be ready select an opponent for the winner of the Abraham-Eubank fight if they make it into the top four seeds,” Dalmiglio added.
In the World Boxing Super Series, 16 elite fighters – eight super-middleweights and eight cruiserweights – will battle it out in a bracket-style elimination tournament. In both divisions, there will be four quarter-finals (September / October 2017), two semi-finals (early 2018) and one final (May 2018), making for a total of 14 high-class fights.
WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES AT A GLANCE
Participants confirmed: 16 of 16
Number of belts: 7
Number of world champions: 5
Number of former world champions: 3
Number of undefeated fighters: 9
Combined Record of participants: 398 wins, 16 losses, 275 KOs (not counting Eubank/Abraham)
Confirmed Cruiserweights (8 of 8)
Oleksandr Usyk (12-0, 10 KOs), WBO World Champion
Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs), WBA World Champion
Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs), IBF World Champion
Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs), WBC World Champion
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KOs), former IBF / WBC World Champion & IBF top-ranked challenger
Marco Huck (40-4-1, 27 KOs), former WBO World Champion
Dmitry Kudryashov (21-1, 21 KOs)
Mike Perez (22-2-1, 14 KOs)
Confirmed Super-Middleweights (8 of 8)
George Groves (26-3, 19 KOs), WBA Super Champion
Juergen Braehmer (48-3, 35 KOs), former WBA & WBO Champion
Erik Skoglund (26-0, 12 KOs)
Jamie Cox (23-0, 13 KOs)
Callum Smith (22-0, 17 KOs)
Rob Brant (22-0, 15 KOs)
Avni Yildirim (16-0, 10 KOs)
Winner of Eubank (24-1, 19 KOs) vs. Abraham (46-5, 30 KOs)
Avni Yildirim, Rob Brant and Mike Perez added to WBSS
The World Boxing Super Series is delighted to announce three more rising challengers. Undefeated youngsters Avni Yildirim (16-0, 10 KOs) and Rob Brant (22-0, 15 KOs) have been added to the super-middleweight competition, while Mike Perez (22-2-1, 14 KOs) completes the cruiserweight line-up. With just one more spot to be filled, the Muhammad Ali Trophy now features nine undefeated fighters, five world champions and three former world champions.
Yildirim, from Turkey, has already fired a first warning shot to his competitors. “In the USA they call me the Dentist because what I do in sparring and in fights is rearranging teeth,” he said. “My message to everybody else in the tournament: You should all hope that you don’t have to fight me in the first round because I will definitely win and go on to the semi-final, final and to the victory. There is no stopping me. I want to make my country and my people proud and I will win the World Boxing Super Series for Turkey.“
Like Yildirim, Brant feels it is his time to shine. “I will be proud to represent America in the World Boxing Super Series,“ he said. “I am young, I am undefeated, I am hungry and I am ready for the world stage. This is my time! I did not just enter this tournament, I am going to win the Muhammad Ali Trophy!”
Yildirim and Brant join a stacked competition that already features WBA Super Champion George Groves, Callum Smith (who as the WBC´s top-ranked challenger will be fighting for the WBC Diamond Championship), former champion Juergen Braehmer as well as rising challengers Erik Skoglund and Jamie Cox.
Perez completes a star-studded cruiserweight competition that comprises all four reigning world champions, two former world champions and a KO king. Perez fancies his chances to win at all. “I am very happy to be part of the World Boxing Super Series,” he said. “It´s a very exciting tournament and the perfect opportunity for me to prove that I can be the best cruiserweight in the world.”
Roberto Dalmiglio, Comosa`s Head of Management Board, is excited about the tournament line-up. “With 15 of the 16 spots filled, I think it´s fair to say that the World Boxing Super Series is delivering on the promise to bring together the best fighters from all around the world,” he stated. “With so many champions, former champions and unbeaten challengers, the line-up is truly amazing.”
Kalle Sauerland, Comosa`s Chief Boxing Officer, revealed that the final participant – the eighth super-middleweight – will be announced on Friday morning. “Everything is falling into place nicely,” he said. “The stage is set for the Draft Gala, with the 16th and final spot to be announced on Friday morning. And I can already reveal that it will be a big one.”
The first participants have started to arrive in Monaco where the hotly-anticipated Draft Gala will take place on Saturday (23:00 local, 5 PM ET). The live TV show will be broadcasted in multiple territories and also be streamed live on www.WorldBoxingSuperSeries.com. During the Draft Gala, the top four seeds, which will be set by the Comosa Board once the line-up has been completed, will select their opponents from the unseeded boxers.
In the World Boxing Super Series, 16 elite fighters – eight super-middleweights and eight cruiserweights – will battle it out in a bracket-style elimination tournament. In both divisions, there will be four quarter-finals (September / October 2017), two semi-finals (early 2018) and one final (May 2018), making for a total of 14 high-class fights.
Photos are free to use, but please include credit Matchroom Boxing for Mike Perez image
For higher res images, please email Matt Rich: MJR@WorldBoxingSuperSeries.com
WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES AT A GLANCE
Participants confirmed: 15 of 16
Number of world champions: 5
Number of former world champions: 3
Number of undefeated fighters: 9
Combined Record of participants: 398 wins, 16 losses, 275 KOs
Confirmed Cruiserweights (8 of 8)
Oleksandr Usyk (12-0, 10 KOs), WBO World Champion
Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs), WBA World Champion
Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs), IBF World Champion
Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs), WBC World Champion
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KOs), former IBF / WBC World Champion & IBF top-ranked challenger
Marco Huck (40-4-1, 27 KOs), former WBO World Champion
Dmitry Kudryashov, (21-1, 21 KOs)
Mike Perez (22-2-1, 14 KOs)
Confirmed Super-Middleweights (7 of 8)
George Groves (26-3, 19 KOs), WBA Super Champion
Juergen Braehmer (48-3, 35 KOs), former WBA & WBO Champion
Erik Skoglund (26-0, 12 KOs)
Jamie Cox (23-0, 13 KOs)
Callum Smith (22-0, 17 KOs)
Rob Brant (22-0, 15 KOs)
Avni Yildirim (16-0, 10 KOs)
Juergen Braehmer joins World Boxing Super Series
The World Boxing Super Series is delighted to announce that former WBA & WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Juergen Braehmer (48-3, 35 KOs) will be coming down in weight to participate in the inaugural season of the World Boxing Super Series, joining WBA Super World Champion George Groves as well as undefeated challengers Erik Skoglund and Jamie Cox in the super-middleweight competition. The remaining four participants will be unveiled in the next days, with all eight fighters coming face-to-face at the Draft Gala next Saturday to hand-pick their quarter-final opponents.
Braehmer is excited about his participation. ”I am looking forward to the tournament,” he said. ”I am prepared. The change of the weight class is not a challenge for me. I have made more than 30 professionals fights at super-middleweight and will now return to my original weight class. I am curious who my opponents will be.”
Roberto Dalmiglio, Comosa´s Head of Management Board, is thrilled to welcome another big name to the revolutionary bracket-style elimination tournament. “Right now, the World Boxing Super Series features five reigning world champions, three former world champions and two undefeated challengers,” he said. “The Muhammad Ali Trophy is delivering on the promise to pit the best against the best and we will announce additional high-profile fighters in the coming days.”
Added Richard Schaefer, Comosa’s Chairman of the Americas: “The World Boxing Super Series offers so many intriguing storylines: champions versus champions, champions versus challengers and youth versus experience. Braehmer is one of the most accomplished fighters around, his record of 48 wins with just three losses speaks for itself. The youngsters better watch out for him.”
In the World Boxing Super Series, 16 elite fighters – eight super-middleweights and eight cruiserweights – will battle it out in a bracket-style elimination tournament. In both divisions, there will be four quarter-finals (September / October 2017), two semi-finals (early 2018) and one final (May 2018), making for a total of 14 high-class fights. All quarter-final match-ups will be determined during the Live Draft Gala at Monaco´s famed Grimaldi Forum on July 8, with all fighters in attendance.
WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES AT A GLANCE
Participants confirmed: 10 of 16
Number of world champions: 5
Number of former world champions: 3
Number of undefeated fighters: 6
Combined Record of participants: 295 wins, 13 losses, 207 KOs
Confirmed Cruiserweights (6 of 8)
•Oleksandr Usyk (12-0, 10 KOs), WBO World Champion
•Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs), WBA World Champion
•Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs), IBF World Champion
•Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs), WBC World Champion
•Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KOs), former IBF / WBC World Champion & IBF top-ranked challenger
•Marco Huck (40-4-1, 27 KOs), former WBO World Champion
Confirmed Super-Middleweights (4 of 8) •George Groves (26-3, 19 KOs), WBA Super Champion
•Juergen Braehmer (48-3, 35 KOs), former WBA & WBO Champion
•Erik Skoglund (26-0, 12 KOs)
•Jamie Cox (23-0, 12 KOs)