By Alexey Sukachev
The cruiserweight final of the first season of the World Boxing Super Series had been formally announced this week, featuring the two top 200-pounders in the worldy: unified Super WBA / IBF champion Murat Gassiev (26-0, 19 KOs) of Russia and WBC / WBO champion Olexander Usyk (14-0, 11 KOs) from Ukraine.
The megafight, which is set to take place on July 21st at the Olimpiyskiy Palace of Sports in Moscow, Russia, will undeniably be one of the greatest moments (and possibly its greatest fight) in the modern history of Russian prizefighting, as well as the first time since the days of young Evander Holyfield, when the undisputed cruiserweight championship will be contested.
Accompanying the boxing event is a bunch of corresponding out-of-the-ring activities, the biggest and the most intriguing of them being a draw for the World Boxing Super Series Season Two, which will – according to a handful of rumors – feature three weight divisions.
The draw will take place on July 22, also in Russia, according to Umar Kremlev, the general secretary of the Russian Boxing Federation.
"July 22 is a newly designated date, “The Boxing Day”, and a draw of the WBSS Season 2 will be held on this date. Russia will host a quarterfinal, a semifinal, and a final. Certain weight classes are under discussion”, told Umar Kremlev to the media.
Divisions, which have already been confirmed include bantamweights and light welterweights, and Russian fighters are announced to take part in both competitions.
Bantamweights will feature WBA #5 and IBF #9 Misha Aloyan (4-0), a former amateur star and a former amateur world champion. Ex-IBF/IBO light welterweight champion Eduard Troyanovskiy (27-1, 24 KOs), now rated #1 by the WBA, is expected to take start in the corresponding weight division. Also announced (from Russia) was participation of the WBA #1 super middleweight Fedor Chudinov (17-2, 12 KOs), which hints the second installment of the super middleweight series, though there were no official announcements.
