Introducing The World Boxing Super Series

Introducing The World Boxing Super Series
10:49, 06 Jul 2017

The announcement Floyd Mayweather Jnr will come out of retirement and fight UFC star Conor McGregor has certainly trumped all other bouts scheduled for the remainder of 2017. Their mega fight, which will take place at the end of August, will shatter all boxing records despite the fact McGregor has never boxed as a professional.

The circus will reportedly roll into London in a few weeks to kick off their promotional world tour, where 10,000 fans will want to witness fireworks at Wembley Stadium. While the build up will arguably be more entertaining than the actual fight itself, there is a different July date that boxing fans should be savouring, as the highly-anticipated World Boxing Super Series clicks into gear ‪on July 8 with the Draft Gala. 

What is the World Boxing Super Series?

Nearly five months ago Comosa AG first announced their revolutionary bracket-style elimination tournament contested between 16 fighters split evenly across two weight-divisions. Scheduled to take place every year, the inaugural campaign will focus on the super-middleweight and cruiserweight divisions before running through other weight-classes in the future.

Along the way, boxers will compete for a share of a $50m (£38.7m) prize fund - winners of each division will receive $10m and the remaining $30m will be used as the guaranteed purse for each fight. The winners will also be awarded The Muhammad Ali Trophy. 

Any belts carried into the tournament, which will be staged in America and Europe from September through to the finals in May 2018, will also be up for grabs. The tournament won't stop for anybody and a pool of reserves will be on standby to replace anyone that succumbs to injury. 

What is the Draft Gala? 

One of most interesting aspects of the WB Super Series, and where it differs hugely from any previous boxing tournament that we have seen, is that the top ranked boxers will largely be in control of their own destiny. The top 4 seeds will be separated in the quarterfinals and have the power to cherry-pick their first round opponent from the remaining unseeded boxers, starting with the No.1 ranked boxer picking first. 

The Draft Gala, which is happening in Monaco on Friday, will be broadcasted live across the world as all 16 participants take to the stage to discover their quarterfinal opponents. It's a tantalising twist as fans will get to see who the top seeds will pick and who they will avoid?

Undefeated WBC and IBO cruiserweight world champion Mairis Briedis (22-0) has described this intriguing new venture as the Champions League of boxing and it is certainly being given the treatment you'd usually associate with football's premiere club competition. 

Has this ever been done before? 

In recent years we have seen similar formats. Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic pitted some of the best super middleweights against each other in a round-robin competition from 2009 to 2012, which Andre Ward won by beating Carl Froch in the final. 

Al Haymon has also created a Premiere Boxing Champions concept, which looks to stack bills with high-quality match-ups. That is due to return at the end of this month with Adrien Broner and Mikey Garcia headlining. First launched in 2015, it was has met by strong opposition arguing Haymon was seeking to monopolise the boxing industry. The WB Super Series, by contrast, will work with all promoters involved with the participating boxers to put on the best campaign of boxing possible. 

Can anyone sign up?

One of the main problems organisers would have faced in the build-up to Friday's Draft Gala is convincing elite boxers to sign up to a campaign where they could potentially fight three times in eight months. Ward, for example, has revealed an intrigue for the WB Super Series, but ruled out participation due to the fact he isn't looking to take part in a full campaign at this stage of his career.

However, Comosa AG aren't interested in diluting the competition and invitation will only extend to world titleholders and top-15 ranked boxers of the various sanctioning bodies. Furthermore, boxers are regularly accused of dodging opponents throughout their career, but once you're signed up to this the politics are left at the door.

They appear to have taken the right approach for the inaugural year. By targeting weight-divisions, such as cruiserweight, which are not the glamorous you will find boxers more receptive to the idea of getting a chance in the spotlight. By doing so, they've managed to sign up four of the current world titleholders in the cruiserweight division, as well as undefeated stars and former champions in both divisions.  For British boxing fans, Jamie Cox and George Groves will be flying the flag. The full list can be found here (https://worldboxingsuperseries.com/).

So, is Mayweather vs McGregor the be all and end all?

Absolutely not. Aside from the fact Mayweather and McGregor's fight is expected to gross more than $600m in revenue, there is still plenty to look forward to this year, starting on Friday. 

Should everything run smoothly for the WB Super Series then it will only be a good thing for boxing. The prospect of world title fights throughout various weight divisions over the coming years is something that should be cherished. There are some potential super fights in the making across the board and the WB Super Series could be the platform to bring it all together on a regular basis.  

For British boxing fans, Jamie Cox, Callum Smith and George Groves will be flying the flag. The full list can be found here: worldboxingsuperseries.com

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