The World Boxing Super Series has been hailed as the "Champions League of boxing," according to Luke Reddy of the BBC. The new event offers a $50M prize fund and a trophy named after Muhammad Ali. Its tournament format "aims to deliver a flow of easy-to-follow storylines for fans." Boxing, with its many weight divisions and multitude of belts, "can be confusing." The World Boxing Super Series "aims to be anything but." It will run two tournaments, one for cruiserweights and one for super-middleweights. Within each, eight men will compete from a quarterfinal stage through to an eventual winner being crowned in each weight category. Along the way, if a fighter meets an opponent who is currently a world champion, "that belt will be on the line." The quarterfinals aim to be completed by the end of October, semifinals by the close of February and winners decided by May. Comosa AG, the company that owns the event, is an "amalgamation of firms," with former Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and European-based Sauerland Promotions "heavily involved." Promoter Kalle Sauerland said, "The tournament will have so many storylines. It's not just to find a winner, it's to generate fun and excitement through storytelling" (BBC, 9/8). ESPN.com's Dan Rafael reported WBSS organizers unveiled their plans on how to deal with a draw on Saturday. The WBSS said, "A unique boxing tournament requires special rules. In the World Boxing Super Series there will be an additional fourth judge whose scorecard will be used if the main three judges deliver a draw result" (ESPN.com, 9/9).
