WBSS’ Sauerland To Postpone Season Three To 2021

It appears we will be waiting longer than expected to determine a new World Boxing Super Series Cruiserweight tournament winner.

WBSS Chief Boxing Officer Kalle Sauerland informed Boxing Scene that the finals of the tournament will be taking place sometime in 2021. The finals, which started in 2018, will have Yuniel Dorticos facing off against Mairis Briedis. The two were originally scheduled to fight in December but it was moved to March following an objection by Krzysztof Glowacki, who Briedis beat in the semi-finals. The fight was then moved to May as a result of Latvia, the home country for the fight, being under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus.

“We have cancelled the May date, we are monitoring the situation and we are ready to pounce when we are able to put it on,” Sauerland stated. “The situation is simple, we were very far along with the planning for season three and when the final was done we were going to reveal what we had planned.

“Ultimately, I put it together and take it to the board of the WBSS and they make the decision, but my gut feeling is that it will be highly unlikely that you will see a Season 3 in 2020, I think all things being well I expect it to be in early 2021.”

Dorticos (24-1) beat Mateusz Masternak and Andrew Tabiti to win the IBF Cruiserweight Title and advance towards the finals. He lost to Gassiev in the semi-finals of the 2017-2018 WBSS Cruiserweight Tournament.

The entire series started in 2018 and has been looking to crown a new king of the cruiserweights since Oleksandr Usyk won during the 2017-2018 season. A new season was being discussed following this one, but there may be some logistical problems behind it. Sauerland pointed out that a draft would need to take place, and even with limited participants, there would need to be an idea of which division will be involved and who would be competing in it.

“With that timeline I would be very surprised if we could start this year, but all being well, we could be ready to make a start in January 2021,” Sauerland went on to say.

“But at the moment out attention is to get the final to happen and then we will move on from there.”