By Alexey Sukachev
Aside from landing one of the biggest boxing events in recent years, a mega-fight for unified cruiserweight honors between WBC/WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk and WBA/IBF champion Murat Gassiev, Moscow will also host the draw for the upcoming second season of the World Boxing Super Series.
The Russian Boxing Federation’s general secretary, Umar Kremlev, commented on the upcoming draw procedure.
He also says that he signed a deal to host quarter-final and semi-final fights in the upcoming WBSS second season - but he did not specify which divisions or the numbers of fights that Moscow will hold - and the exact lineup of fights will not be revealed until the draw, which takes place in Moscow on July 20.
The next season of the WBSS will feature tournaments within the junior welterweight and bantamweight divisions. There is also talk of a third division, super middleweight.
“The draw (of the World Boxing Super Series Season Two) is a very meaningful event, one of the most important. Our fighter Mikhail (Misha) Aloyan (WBA #5 and IBF #9 bantamweight with a record of 4-0) is already part of the series, and he will fight for the world title in his next outing. This is great motivation – both for the newbies and for established fighters. For each boxer we can provide everything necessary to complete a success story. All they should do is to train diligently and compete”, said Kremlev.
“We have signed a contract (with Comosa AG) not only for the Gassiev vs. Usyk, but also for a quarterfinal and a semifinal of the upcoming series. We shall celebrate a real holiday of world-class professional boxing. We'll have the draw on 7/20 with a number of stellar names, joining one another for competition, on 7/21 is the WBSS Cruiserweight Final, and finally on 7/22 is the International Boxing Day”, concluded Kremlev.
