WBSS DRAMA
The latest news on the tournament
NOBODY said it would be easy or plain sailing, but, unfortunately, the World Boxing Super Series [WBSS] seems on the verge of suffering the same pitfalls of boxing tournaments past. What began as manna from heaven for fight fans has now descended into rumour and counterrumour and, according to some of the rumours, more than one disgruntled fighter.
The latest rumour doing the rounds centres on the participation of IBF superlightweight champion Ivan Baranchyk and the likelihood of his semi-final fight against Scotland’s Josh Taylor going ahead as planned. On January 30, Baranchyk’s manager, David Mcwater, announced the Russian had decided to withdraw from the tournament after becoming frustrated about financial issues they have with the organisers, Comosa AG, as well as citing a lack of communication as an additional reason for their unhappiness.
“We are definitely pulling out,” Mcwater told ESPN last Wednesday. “Ivan was supposed to fight [ Josh] Taylor in Glasgow [Scotland] in late May. That was what I was hearing, but they haven’t spoken to any of us: not me, not [co-promoter] Lou [Dibella].”
If the main issue is a financial one, Baranchyk’s team aren’t the first to raise concerns about the WBSS’ organisers’ inability to stump up funds as season two moves forward. Before Christmas, in fact, Boxing News received off-the-record calls from managers of WBSS participants concerned about whether their fighters would receive the money they had been promised for entering the tournament. Frankly, season two was looking ominous from the start.
“We got the purse for the quarterfinals, but we had to wait about two months for the win bonus that Ivan was owed, and we didn’t get it until after we had to threaten them,” Mcwater said. “They paid us late and now they are refusing to put the money in escrow for the semi-finals until the fight. They won’t even put part of the money in escrow.
“We feel like they are not going to be able to pay us. They’re not willing to negotiate putting money in escrow in a timely fashion.
“We don’t believe the fight will happen anyway and we’re burning daylight. Ivan is missing fights. We’re incredibly disappointed because we wanted this tournament to work so badly. We are not pulling out because we have some other plan, but I feel confident somebody will make us an offer.
“Ivan has a world title, so I don’t expect us to sit around. This kid looks at his boxing as a 9-to-5 job. He trains every single day. How do you tell him there are all these delays because they don’t have the money?”
With Baranchyk seemingly gone, and the news catching fire online, it was left to a Comosa AG spokesperson to attempt to clear up the mess. Claiming ignorance, they told ESPN, “We have not received any notice of Ivan Baranchyk pulling out of the tournament. Ivan Baranchyk was paid a very large sum to challenge for a vacant title and the WBSS and its shareholders have invested hugely into its brand. Its contracts are watertight and any failure to meet them will be met with the very hardest of consequences. This applies to all fighters and also to promoters, managers and agents alike.”
The next day, to squash speculation altogether, the WBSS issued a press release announcing a May 18 date at The SSE Hydro, Glasgow for the apparently doomed IBF title fight between Baranchyk, 19-0 [12], and Taylor, 14-0 [12]. It was the mother of all curveballs and yet somehow served to compound the confusion rather than clear it up.
“My nature, effort and my love of boxing will help me get the Ali Trophy,” a suddenly enigmatic Baranchyk was quoted as saying.
Taylor, on the other hand, had a bit more to say but was still unusually reserved for a challenger with the chance of finally becoming a world champion.
“I am delighted to be fighting for the world title,” he said. “It is a childhood dream to become a world champion. I am very confident I will win and do it in fashion.”
For what it’s worth, Kalle Sauerland, Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer, added: “We are super-excited to bring the biggest boxing event to Scotland in many years. It is not only a night of world championship boxing but also the massive opportunity to claim a place in the final of the World Boxing Super Series and be crowned the best superlightweight in the world.”
Perhaps we can be accused of looking too deeply for something that isn’t there, but halfhearted quotes and empty sentiment hardly inspire confidence that the fight goes ahead, nor does the panicked timing of the release and the fact May 18 is still a long way off. What’s more, despite the announcement press release, Mcwater has since reiterated his man Baranchyk is no longer an active participant in the WBSS and that he will soon be on the lookout for a network deal for his fighter. It’s unlikely, then, that tickets for Baranchynk vs. Taylor will be going on sale anytime soon.
Whether the fight happens or not is anyone’s guess, but one thing we do know is this: the WBSS appeared a far happier place to be first time around, during season one. That glorious season consisted of eight-man tournaments in the cruiserweight and super-middleweight divisions, was announced as having $50 million in overall prize money, and the biggest hurdles organisers had to overcome – at least publicly – were injuries to finalists Oleksandr Usyk and George Groves. It was, in comparison to season two, a piece of cake; it was, in comparison to everything else in boxing last year, about as good as it gets.
WE RECEIVED OFF-THERECORD CALLS FROM CONCERNED MANAGERS