If Groves drops out, Should the WBSS Super Middleweight Tournament be Scrapped?

[LacedUp]

Groves vs Smith was the final a lot were expecting so no or Smith vs Eubank Jr.

Also £4.8 mill to the winner so there is more chance in hell freezing over than Groves pulling out.

Fuk me is it that much?

[evets]

Of course not. This sh^t can happen in a tournament. And the WBSS format has ALWAYS been to throw in a sub over push back a fight. EVERY SINGLE FIGHT has had a sub fighting on the main card. Completely f#cking stupid to throw away the tournament over something that was always a part of the tournament if someone was injured.

This tournament was built on real tournament rules (if you can't compete at the time scheduled you're f#cking out) while still giving fans the fights (via subs). I like it myself cuz tournaments shouldn't be won by mfers who fall apart or have an injury or w/e during the tournament.

Winning a WBSS tournament is about skill + toughness. Braehmer was too old & brittle or w/e the reason he fell out of this tournament is about to win this tournament. And Groves is too if he can't fight on June 2.

If you don't like that logic you ultimately don't like this tournament setup.

If the final is 2 replacement fighters (kickboxer, groves replacement) then why should they get the Muhammed Ali trophy? Genuine query, it would be worth absolutely nothing in following years. The only way I could see it being worth while (the trophy) is if they stick in the final contract that Groves gets to fight the winner when healthy, not as part of a tournament (to prove they deserved it). My problem would not be with the fighters replacing them (hell im all for new fighters getting that exposure and chance and also hate cards falling apart because main events fall through, looking at you mcguigan) but mostly I think they should scrap the trophy hand out in SMW and just have it for the CW winner. But this is only something I would want to happen if Groves cant make it.

[Sparked_26]

Fuk me is it that much?

Yeah that's what I've read a few times.

Sweet pension for The Saint. Good luck to him. That's why I don't think he fights again after this. Unless it's James Degale if he wins his title back.

I think in the back of both their minds they see each other as their last hurrah.

Groves isn't fighting Ramirez or Benavidez in a million years imo. Not ducking them but he's at that stage now where I know he's only 29 but what else is he gonna do? He's made the money.

Could he clean out the division, I dunno. Probably not...maybe, who knows. Could he win a title at world heavyweight. I don't think so?

[evets]

Fuk me is it that much?

Yeah, there was very good incentives for all involved to join this - hence people giving up some lucrative opportunities to join in. Braehmer vacated a title, Smith gave up a title shot etc to get in, must have good coin even in the lower brackets. Sauerland mentioned getting a budget of 50 mill for the tourny.

[Eff Pandas]

I don't agree it should be scrapped but if we get a final that consists of any fighters other than Callum Smith and George Groves then it will be a disaster.

If Smith gets beat by this sub then why is it a disaster? I thought Braehmer had a solid shot to beat him too so it could have been Groves vs Braehmer.

I mean if you are talking about the box office or fan appeal I get it cuz UK vs UK in the UK = massive money & fan appeal, but the tournament itself is about those 8 guys or the subs fighting each other & beating everyone they fight.

Granted if Smith loses to this kickboxer & Groves can't fight & we get a kickboxer vs Eubank Jr finals (can't believe they'd put a non-UK guy in if Smith loses & Groves can't fight) or something like that it'd be a bad f#cking look, but the schedule is the schedule for this & while this ain't football it'd be like pushing back the Super Bowl cuz the star QB's on both teams are injured. A guy who hasn't fought or beat a original WBSS participant in the finals won't be a great look either. But if this kickboxer legit beats Smith I think thats fine cuz Smith f#cking lost & the kickboxer has made himself viable.

[evets]

I can't remember but in the old super 6 didn't they just replace people with seeded people in the ranking?

['b']

Voted yes just in case the WBSS is using polls like this to gauge how the fans would react to replacing Groves instead of delaying the bout, and the bout should be delayed if necessary

[Eff Pandas]

If the final is 2 replacement fighters (kickboxer, groves replacement) then why should they get the Muhammed Ali trophy?

I've already said its a bad look if 2 replacements fight in the finals, but ultimately thats the tournament format. And yea its a * situation in WBSS history, but it is what it is. Its always been in the plans to have subs come in for cats when needed. Although I got less of a problem with this kickboxer guy if he beats Smith since he beat a tournament participant to make it to the finals.

If you wanna say its a dumb format, like that stupid a$$ round robin format in the super six which left mfers beat the f#ck up who lost with 2+ fights to go & opting out of the tournament, then fair play.

Personally I think they'll push back the finals a reasonable time (weeks to a couple months, but not 3 months or w/e, I definitely don't think they'll have the Season 1 finals AFTER Season 2 starts in Aug/Sept) if necessary to keep the integrity of the tournament as best as possible so this talk is likely for naught.

[boliodogs]

Of course not. You don't scrap the whole tournament because one boxer in the tournament is injured and can't continue. It's sad but it's his tough luck.

[asgarth]

Very unfortunate. The 168 tournament was never on the same level as the cruiserweight tournament, but if everything had gone through the tournament would have been decent and would have brought us better fights than without the tournament.

Groves Eubank
Groves Smith/Brähmer
Brähmer Smith

Smith Skoglund
Eubank Yildrim
Groves Cox
Brähmer Brant

are better than average fights and yildrim, cox, brant and skoglund were all unbeaten fighter.