WBSS: Cruiserweight & Super Middleweight First Round Review
Following a stunning 2017, all eight favorites remain undefeated. Walking into 2018, the elite eight are ready to take on their most dangerous foes yet on the road to the finals.
The first round of the tournament is now in the books, and all 8 favorites claimed decisive wins over their opponents. Virtual every fight delivered thrills & chills, and boxing fans are more excited about the tournament than ever. The Cruiserweight tournament played out as expected with the top 4 picks demonstrating their class, while the first round of the Super Middleweight bracket has only raised more questions of its combatants.
Cruiserweights
#1 Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk kicked off the WBSS with an unforgettable performance, absolutely demolishing long reigning former champion Marco Huck. The performance was technically beautiful, dominating, and brutal. With the win, Usyk solidified his standing as the number one cruiserweight in the world, and the clear favorite to win the tournament.
#2 Murat Gassiev
Murat Gassiev, the youngest participant in either tournament, maintained his position right on the heels of Oleksandr Usyk with his 3 round destruction of Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. Just 24 years old and 25 fights into his professional career, the Kavkazian has made many believe he is capable of knocking out any cruiserweight on the planet. Further, with every fight the young champion demonstrates a level of maturity that few of his age ever show.
As he patiently stalks his prey, Murat Gassiev does what every great pressure-fighting boxer should do: create valuable opportunities to put in work, intelligently picking shots, and setting traps to achieve knockout blows. And there is no reason to believe he won’t put Yunier Dorticos under the same kind of pressure he put his last 5 opponents. Will Dorticos able to withstand the onslaught? Those who remember Dorticos tasting the canvas in the amateurs believe he will not.
#3 Mairis Briedis
With the most disappointing performance in the tournament, Mairis Briedis made the biggest mistake he could have: he explicitly displayed his strengths and weaknesses. He hasn’t added anything new to his game - he plays conservatively to his strong suits: utilizing footwork, swiftly closing in & breaking up (but not without the help of the referee), and making his opponents miss in order to counter them with powerful punches. But unlike his recent foes, Perez was the man to make Briedis remain on edge throughout the entire fight. He worked consistently in all 12 rounds, and never gave up looking for a way to throw the Latvian off his game. In some ways Perez revealed the game-plan for beating Briedis: don’t get frustrated and attack creatively. Fortunately for Usyk, this is something he’s famous for. Does Mairis Briedis have something else up his sleeve? Unless he does, Oleksandr Usyk is going to upset 40,000 Latvian fans.
#4 Yunier Dorticos
In the first round, the Cuban WBA Regular Champion Yunier Dorticos was unfortunate to be left fighting Dmitry Kudryashov — the little known Russian boxer, recognized as arguably the hardest hitting boxer on the planet. It was a knock-out or be knocked-out type of fight that went exactly the way Dorticos wanted. Unfortunately for the Russian, his opponent studied him, applied the blueprint for the worst case scenario (pressure and high output), and knocked the “Russian Hammer” out (it’s starting to look like having “hammer” in your nickname is bad luck). As to why he’s #4, he hasn’t shown anything that could elevate him above the other three competitors. Dorticos remains at the same ranking as last year, but with one more highlight-reel knockout on his resume.
Super Middleweights
#1 George Groves
The Super Middleweight side of the tournament turned out to be messier than the 200lbs side with favorites slipping in the rankings and underdogs advancing on them. George Groves showed both the experience & craftiness of a veteran, as well as signs of being a battle worn warrior whose body could give at any moment. It’s hard to predict how much Groves has in his pockets, and it’s also hard to predict how his fight with Eubank Jr. will play out. But one thing is clear : Groves hasn’t got much time left and one more war — win or lose — could easily become his last.
#2 Callum Smith
Callum Smith remains among the top, yet with a stained reputation after an ugly difficult fight against a little known Swede (to whom we all wish the best in recovery). At no point during his bout was Smith able to find anything extra to widen the gap between himself and his foe, boxing conservatively and winning the fight mostly thanks to his long jab. That lack of creativity is perhaps his biggest weakness - he simply doesn’t bring anything exciting to the table. 23 fights into his career, and arguably the best of the Smith brothers, Callum has failed to show the goods that could elevate him above other british prospects.
#3 Christopher Livingstone Eubank Junior
Unlike the two listed above, Eubank has proven to be growing into a better and better boxer with each and every fight. Now smarter and more patient, Chris Eubank demonstrated that he is no longer all about athleticism. He picked his shots, set up good angles, and demonstrated that he is very close to finding the final form of his style, one that could could allow him to sweep 12 round bouts. George Groves has the tools necessary to beat Eubank, but it just might be the time for the son of a local legend to start building a legacy of his own.
#4 Juergen Braehmer
Whilst many had written off the German veteran of 52 professional fights, he explicitly demonstrated why he was picked for this tournament(and no, not just because Sauerland is the co-promoter of the WBSS). Braehmer not only proved he still possesses what first brought him to the championship level but, above that, he still has the spirit to compete at the the highest level. He disrupted the young American early, clearly demonstrating the gap in experience, shutting off Brant’s game and beating him up consistently over the 12 rounds distance. However, age is likely to play a much bigger role in his next fight. Callum Smith is a different kind of animal, one big enough to bite the German’s head clean off.
Though 2017 has been big for boxing fans, not everything has been bright on the business side of things. It was a big risk to set up a tournament of the size and magnitude of the World Boxing Super Series, and unfortunately not everyone has bought into the concept. Inexplicably, the WBSS is still struggling to get their shows onto American TV. The WBSS has been big in Europe, attracting millions of boxing fans to their TV screens. But, in today’s economy, they are leaving money on the table with the absence of American TV. In order to crossover to a mass global audience, they must gain a footing in the states.
In terms of entertainment, 2018 is set to be as exciting as 2017. The WBSS promises great shows, competitive fights, big unifications, and (hopefully) another Absolute World Champion will be crowned by the end of the year. It’s a shame that, in terms of business, the WBSS might not go beyond Season 1. It’s all in the hands of Richard Schaefer and Kalle Sauerland and the folks at Comosa AG. Whether it continues into 2019 or not, the WBSS has been one of the rarest and most incredible things that could have happened to boxing in the 21st century. All we fans can do is appreciate it while we have the chance.
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