(Photo Courtesy of World Boxing Super Series)
EDMONTON, Canada (August 30, 2017) – Super Channel is pleased to announce that it has acquired the rights in Canada to broadcast the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) from MP & Silva, a leading international media company that provides media rights, digital, technology and sponsorship services.
“Our acquisition of the World Boxing Super Series further reinforces our commitment to make exciting world-class boxing a regular staple of Super Channel SPORTS,” said Don McDonald, President and CEO for Super Channel. “It is a strategic step in our quest to establish Super Channel as the go-to destination for boxing fans looking for unique and exciting boxing action, at all levels.”
Frank Uddo, MP & Silva’s President, North America, commented: “We are delighted to work with Super Channel and World Boxing Super Series in Canada to help promote and distribute what we believe is a refreshingly premium international boxing competition. The new format, transparency, and potential match-ups should excite all boxing fans in Canada.”
World Boxing Super Series is a new revolutionary bracket-style elimination tournament featuring the world`s best boxers and a total of $50 million in prize money. The knockout format of the competition will see the best boxers ultimately compete for the Muhammad Ali Trophy, the greatest prize in boxing. The tournament is organized by newly-founded Comosa AG, a Swiss-registered company with principal owners Highlight Event & Entertainment, Modern Times Group and Team Sauerland. Comosa AG is working in partnership with boxers, promoters and managers around the world, and in alignment with the four major world boxing federations, to create a new global platform for the sport.
The tournament, the first of its kind which is planned to take place on an annual basis, will kick off on September 9. The inaugural season of the World Boxing Super Series will feature two weight classes, 16 fighters, and a total of 14 main events. An expert panel invited the world’s best boxers to compete, namely the top 15-ranked fighters of the four major federations: WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO. In each weight class, eight boxers will battle it out in a bracket-style elimination tournament, with four quarterfinals (September & October 2017), two semifinals (January & February 2018) and one championship final (May 2018).
“I can’t think of a better home than Super Channel for the World Boxing Super Series” said Troy Wassill, Director of Programming, Domestic Distributors and Sports for Super Channel. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have this exciting opener with Usyk vs Huck as the lead-in to the quarter finals, with eight consecutive weekends of top-flight action.”
Schedule for World Boxing Super Series 8 quarterfinal matches coming to Super Channel:
September 9, 2017 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final:
Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin, Germany
WBO Cruiserweight World Championship
Oleksandr “The Cat” Usyk (12-0, 10 KOs), Champion, Kiev, Ukraine
2-Time Ukrainian Olympian, 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, The Ring #1
vs.
Marco “Kapt’n” Huck (40-4-1, 27 KOs), Challenger, Berlin, Germany by way of Serbia
Former WBO Cruiserweight World Champion, The Ring 7
September 16,2017 – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
Echo Arena, Liverpool, UK
WBC Super Middleweight Diamond Championship
Callum “Mundo” Smith (22-0, 17 KOs), Liverpool, Merseyside, UK – The Ring #5
vs.
Erik Skoglund (26-0, 12 KOs), Nykoping, Sweden
September 23, 2017 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final:
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, USA
WBA Cruiserweight World Championship
Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs), Champion, Miami, Florida, USA by way of Cuba
vs.
Dmitry “The Russian Hammer” Kudryashov
(21-1, 21 KOs), Challenger, Volgodonsk, Russia
September 30, 2017 – Cruiserweight Quarter-Final:
Riga Arena, Riga, Latvia
WBC Cruiserweight World Championship
Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs), Champion, Riga, Latvia – The Ring #4
vs.
Mike “The Rebel” Perez
(22-2-1, 14 KOs), Challenger, Cork, Ireland by way of Cuba
October 7, 2017 [A1] – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Halle, Stuttgart, Germany
IBO Super Middleweight World Championship
Chris “Next Gen” Eubank Jr (25-1, 19 KOs), Champion, Brighton, Sussex, UK – The Ring #7
vs.
Avni Yildirim (16-0, 10 KOs), Challenger, Sivas, Turkey
October 14, 2017 [A2] – Super Middleweight Quarter-Final:
The SSE Arena, Wembley, London, United Kingdom
WBA Super Middleweight World Championship
“Saint” George Groves (26-3, 19 KOs), Champion, Hammersmith, London, UK – The Ring #3
vs.
Jamie Cox (24-0, 13 KOs), Swinton, Wiltshire, UK
TO BE CONFIRMED
Cruiserweight Quarter-Finals:
TBA
IBF Cruiserweight World Championship
“Iron” Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs), Champion, Vladikavkaz, Russia – The Ring #2
vs.
Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KOs), Challenger, Piaseczno, Poland – The Ring #10
Former IBF & WBC Cruiserweight World Champion
Super Middleweight Quarter-Finals:
TBA
Juergen Braehmer (48,3 35 KOs), Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommem, Germany
Former WBO & WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion
vs.
Rob “Bravo” Brant
(22-0, 15 KOs), Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
All fights will also be available on Super Channel On Demand.
All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Super Channel has recently aired major boxing events live like Brook vs. Spence Jr., Pacquiao-Horn, Eubank, Jr. vs. Abraham, Lomachenko vs.Marriaga and Crawford vs. Indongo.
To see all the World Boxing Super Series action live, as well as more exciting boxing to come, fight fans in Canada can contact their local cable provider to subscribe to Super Channel and all that it offers, including premium series, movies and much more, for as low as $9.95 per month.
