Former titlist Marco Huck joins cruiserweight tournament field
The already loaded World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament field continued to get stronger on Tuesday with the announcement that former world titleholder Marco Huck, one of the most decorated fighters in the history of the division, has joined the eight-man field.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Champions League of Boxing," Huck said in a news release. "In the great history of the sport there has never been a tournament like this. Eight world-class fighters will enter the competition but just one man can prevail. I cannot wait to show the world that I am best of all those strong champions."
Huck, 32, is the fifth fighter to join the single-elimination cruiserweight tournament, which already boasts most of the top boxers in the 200-pound weight class. The four others fighters already committed are world titleholders Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs), Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs) and Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs), as well as former titleholder Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KOs).
Poised to join the field is former world titleholder Krzysztof Glowacki (27-1, 17 KOs), who stopped Hizni Altunkaya on Saturday and has already signed for the tournament, although his entrance has not yet been announced, a source with knowledge of the deal told ESPN.
Two others are also close to deals to enter the tournament: world titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (12-0, 10 KOs) of Ukraine and Russian knockout artist Dmitry Kudryashov (21-1, 21 KOs).
Huck (40-4-1, 27 KOs), of Germany, has been a stalwart in the cruiserweight division for many years. He tied Johnny Nelson's record for most defenses in division history at 13 before losing by dramatic, 11th-round upset knockout to Glowacki in a fight of the year contender in August 2015. Huck bounced back with wins against rival Ola Afolabi, in their fourth fight, and Dmytro Kucher before losing a decision while challenging Briedis for his world title on April 1.
In March, Comosa AG announced plans for two eight-man single-elimination tournaments in which 16 fighters will divvy up the $50 million prize money, with the winner of each tournament also receiving the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Comosa AG enlisted promoters Richard Schaefer and Kalle Sauerland to promote the cards and decided that the first two tournaments will take place in the cruiserweight and super middleweight divisions.
The tournaments are supposed to kick off in September with quarterfinal matches in each weight class; semifinals would take place in early 2018 and the finals are scheduled for May 2018. The draw for each tournament will take place on July 8 in Monte Carlo with the top four seeds (which are to be determined) in each field selecting their quarterfinal opponent from the remaining unseeded fighters.
"There are no weak opponents in the tournament, so I don't care who I fight," Huck said. "I want to be the best so I have to beat them all anyway. I don't mind in which order I defeat them."
The cruiserweights officially announced for the field boast a combined record of 160-7-2 with 119 KOs.
"There is an incredible amount of talent at cruiserweight," Sauerland said in the news release. "The World Boxing Super Series will answer the one question fans have been asking themselves for so many years: Who is the undisputed No. 1 in a division loaded with undefeated champions and great fighters? We'll find out come May 2018."
So far there is only one fighter who has officially joined the super middleweight tournament: England's George Groves (26-3, 19 KOs), who holds one of the 168-pound world titles.
Source: http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/19749519/former-titlist-marco-huck-joins-cruiserweight-tournament
"I am thrilled to be joining the Champions League of Boxing," Huck said in a news release. "In the great history of the sport there has never been a tournament like this. Eight world-class fighters will enter the competition but just one man can prevail. I cannot wait to show the world that I am best of all those strong champions."
 |
| Marco Huck, one of the most decorated fighters in the history of the cruiserweight division, has joined the eight-man tournament, which is scheduled to kick off in September. Thomas Starke/Bongarts/Getty Images |
Poised to join the field is former world titleholder Krzysztof Glowacki (27-1, 17 KOs), who stopped Hizni Altunkaya on Saturday and has already signed for the tournament, although his entrance has not yet been announced, a source with knowledge of the deal told ESPN.
Two others are also close to deals to enter the tournament: world titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (12-0, 10 KOs) of Ukraine and Russian knockout artist Dmitry Kudryashov (21-1, 21 KOs).
Huck (40-4-1, 27 KOs), of Germany, has been a stalwart in the cruiserweight division for many years. He tied Johnny Nelson's record for most defenses in division history at 13 before losing by dramatic, 11th-round upset knockout to Glowacki in a fight of the year contender in August 2015. Huck bounced back with wins against rival Ola Afolabi, in their fourth fight, and Dmytro Kucher before losing a decision while challenging Briedis for his world title on April 1.
In March, Comosa AG announced plans for two eight-man single-elimination tournaments in which 16 fighters will divvy up the $50 million prize money, with the winner of each tournament also receiving the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Comosa AG enlisted promoters Richard Schaefer and Kalle Sauerland to promote the cards and decided that the first two tournaments will take place in the cruiserweight and super middleweight divisions.
The tournaments are supposed to kick off in September with quarterfinal matches in each weight class; semifinals would take place in early 2018 and the finals are scheduled for May 2018. The draw for each tournament will take place on July 8 in Monte Carlo with the top four seeds (which are to be determined) in each field selecting their quarterfinal opponent from the remaining unseeded fighters.
"There are no weak opponents in the tournament, so I don't care who I fight," Huck said. "I want to be the best so I have to beat them all anyway. I don't mind in which order I defeat them."
The cruiserweights officially announced for the field boast a combined record of 160-7-2 with 119 KOs.
"There is an incredible amount of talent at cruiserweight," Sauerland said in the news release. "The World Boxing Super Series will answer the one question fans have been asking themselves for so many years: Who is the undisputed No. 1 in a division loaded with undefeated champions and great fighters? We'll find out come May 2018."
So far there is only one fighter who has officially joined the super middleweight tournament: England's George Groves (26-3, 19 KOs), who holds one of the 168-pound world titles.
Source: http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/19749519/former-titlist-marco-huck-joins-cruiserweight-tournament
Post a Comment