World Boxing Super Series III: Will we see a heavyweight tournament?

Fury produces stunning fight to stop Wilder and win WBC world heavyweight title

The World Boxing Super Series has been nothing short of brilliant in its first two seasons.

It has proved to be an instant hit with fans as it forces the best to fight the best without any of the politics getting in the way.

The WBSS, co-founded by the Sauerland Promotions and Richard Schaefer, had two FOTY contenders in 2019 with Josh Taylor vs. Regis Prograis and Naoyo Inoue vs. Nonito Donaire. Both were the finals of the super-lightweight and super-bantamweight tournaments, respectively.
In 2018, they also delivered some memorable occasions in a classic between Oleksandr Usyk vs. Mairis Breidis and two British dust-ups in George Groves vs. Chris Eubank Jr and Groves vs. Callum Smith.
While the Sauerland brothers get to work on a potential third season, any talk of a heavyweight instalment would be welcomed.

When people think of the heavyweight division, they think of the big three in Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder, but people forget there are other fights to be made in a red-hot division. Chris Hiles gives his ideal WBSS with eight heavyweights outside of the big three if money was no object.

Dillian Whyte

The most avoided fighter in the division. Despite being mandatory to Wilder for the WBC title, he has been waiting three years for his shot at world glory. In the meantime, Fury, Dominic Breazeale, Luis Ortiz and Fury again have challenged the ‘Bronze Bomber’. Instead of resting on his laurels and waiting for Wilder, Whyte has fought some serious contenders under the Matchroom banner. After demolishing ex-world champion Lucas Browne, Whyte overcame former WBO titleholder Joseph Parker, old foe Derek Chisora and American Oscar Rivas - all three being absolute barnstormers. This man just loves to fight! The Brixton man is set to take on Alexander Povetkin next.

Oleksandr Usyk

2018 WBSS cruiserweight winner Oleksandr Usyk had a frustrating 2019, which was plagued with injury. Chazz Witherspoon was his only opponent last year, who retired on his stool after the seventh-round to give Usyk victory on his heavyweight debut. Due to his inactivity, Usyk has gone under the radar since moving up from cruiserweight and many are intrigued as to how he adapts to moving up in weight. There is no doubt about the quality he possesses inside the ring having won all four major world titles in the the inaugural WBSS on away soil. If he can adapt to the heavyweight division, he will be a handful for anyone with his ring craft. According to Eddie Hearn, Chisora will be his next opponent in May.

Andy Ruiz Jr

Who would’ve thought Ruiz would be hailed as one of the best heavyweights in the world 12 months ago? He delivered the biggest upset of the decade in defeating Joshua to become the first Mexican to win world titles at heavyweight in New York. While he didn’t successfully defend those belts in Saudi Arabia, Ruiz is seen as a world class operator with an impressive amateur background and deadly hand speed. After sacking Manuel Robles, Ruiz is looking to get back into contention and is already preparing for his next opponent. Teddy Atlas - former trainer to ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson - has been linked as Ruiz’s next cornerman.

Alexander Povetkin

You have to give Povetkin lots of credit for still being so dangerous and dominant at the age of 40. It’s even more shocking when you see that he has such a height deficit on many of his opponents. After winning a version of the heavyweight world title,the 2004 gold-medalist lost a unification bout with Wladimir Klitschko before tasting defeat to Joshua at Wembley Stadium in 2018. A rematch with Michael Hunter could be on the cards later this year but first of all, he’ll be turning his attention to Whyte. While he won’t be favourite to win, you can never back against Povetkin with his boxing ability.

Joseph Parker

Perhaps the forgotten man of the division after back-to-back defeats to Joshua and Whyte. An inactive 2019 didn’t help New Zealand’s first heavyweight ruler. The Kiwi was expected to go to war with a fourth Brit in ‘War’ Chisora, only to pull out of the showdown due to illness - a bite from a spider is the apparent reason. Parker certainly has the skill to get back amongst the big league alongside the help of Eddie Hearn. He defeated Ruiz via split-decision in his native before inflicting a first defeat to Hughie Fury in 2018. A unification loss to Joshua and then Whyte followed but his defeat to the latter was a sensational fight and if anything, British fans had more respect for him after producing a tamed performance against ‘AJ’ in Cardiff.

Filip Hrgovic

It may come as a surprise to see Filip Hrgovic on the list as he is relatively untested in the professional ranks and hasn’t fought anyone of high calibre. On the other hand, he has shown destructive power in his ten bouts with Eric Molina - an experienced operator and former world title challenger - is his biggest scalp thus far. He is a well-schooled amateur, who seems to have settled into the heavyweight division with ease, and is looking for a breakthrough year in 2020 to climb up the rankings.

Michael Hunter

Michael ‘Bounty’ Hunter has looked much more of a threat since moving up from 200-pounds. To many, he is the ‘boogeyman’ of the division. He ended 2019 with a highly-disputed draw against Povetkin on the Ruiz-Joshua undercard in the Middle East - many thought he had done enough to clinch victory. The American is undefeated at heavyweight and has just one defeat in 19 outings with it coming to Usyk at cruiserweight in 2017. A rematch between the pair could be on the cards later this year.

Derek Chisora

How could anyone ignore Chisora for this tournament? You can never back against a Chisora who has more lives than a cat. He brings entertainment and is rarely dull in a fight, especially since linking up with former foe David Haye. With his granite chin, he decides to swing for the hills and if he connects sweetly, he can put you to sleep. Entering his twilight years, Chisora is producing some of his finest performances in recent times with KO wins over David Price, Senad Gashi and Artur Szpilka. While Usyk is expected to come through him in May, you just can’t rule out a rejuvenated Chisora producing an upset.

Other mentions

Kubrat Pulev: The Bulgarian is always going to be a threat with his Eastern European style and will look to rip up the script against Joshua this summer.
Tony Yoka: Undoubtedly a huge talent and after signing with Bob Arum’s Top Rank, the Olympian will be looking to make a statement of intent in 2020.

Daniel Dubois: The highly talented Brit has shown destructive power against limited opposition, but should he get through the tough test of Joe Joyce, then he’ll certainly be close to hitting the world stage. Frank Warren recently announced a five-year deal to promote the Briton, which will see Dubois fight under the Queensberry banner until the age of 27.

Luis Ortiz: The Cuban who nobody knows the actual age (maybe 47) is a threat to anybody. ‘King Kong’ was winning every round in the rematch against Wilder before getting knocked out in the seventh. Not many want a piece of the southpaw.