The fight between No. 1 junior welterweight Regis Prograis and Juan Jose Velasco gained more significance on Tuesday.
World Boxing Super Series organizers announced that the winner of the bout will secure a slot in the eight-man tournament that begins in September.
Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs), 29, and Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), 31, of Argentina, will meet in a 12-round bout in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on July 14 (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 7 p.m. ET) at the Lakefront Arena on the campus of the University of New Orleans in Prograis’ hometown.
“My biggest asset is my hunger to be the best,” said Prograis, a southpaw, who claimed a vacant interim title by second-round knockout of former unified titleholder Julius Indongo on March 9. “I have a chip on my shoulder and I want to prove to everybody I am the best at 140 pounds. I’m definitely excited to enter into the tournament. This is great for boxing. The best fighting the best.”
Velasco is a heavy underdog against Prograis, but hopes to pull the upset and go into the tournament.
“It’s a great honor and I look forward to competing for the Muhammad Ali Trophy and winning the whole thing,” Velasco said. “I think the format is set up well. The best fight the best in the World Boxing Super Series to determine one champ. Great!”
Promoter Kalle Sauerland, chief boxing officer for tournament organizer Comosa AG, added, “Prograis is an exciting athlete capable of catapulting his status to new heights of sporting glory in the Ali Trophy tournament. He is facing Velasco, a tough challenger.”
The World Boxing Super Series has also made official some of the participants in the junior welterweight field.
Kiryl Relikh (22-2, 19 KOs), 28, of Belarus, will defend his version of the 140-pound title for the first time when he faces mandatory challenger and former world titlist Eduard Troyanovsky (27-1, 24 KOs), 38, of Russia, in one of the quarterfinal bouts.
“The World Boxing Super Series is getting the best facing the best, which is precisely what is needed in our sport,” Relikh said. “I am focused on preparing the best that I can to achieve the dream of winning the Muhammad Ali Trophy. The holder of the trophy will be a superstar in the game.”
Relikh won his belt on March 10 by decision in a rematch of a controversial decision loss to Rances Barthelemy.
Troyanovsky has won two fights in a row since losing his belt to Indongo by first-round knockout in December 2016.
“I am very happy to take part in the tournament,” Troyanovsky said. “The Muhammad Ali Trophy is something really special for any boxer in the world. Maybe it could be more prestigious than championship belts because not everyone can get this trophy.”
One of the other quarterfinals is another mandatory fight. It will match Russia’s Ivan Baranchyk (18-0, 11 KOs), 25, and Anthony Yigit (21-0-1, 7 KOs), 26, of Sweden, who will meet for a vacant world title.
“I am really happy to be a part of the tournament because there are chances to take all the titles and show everyone that I am the best in the division,” Baranchyk said. “My nature, effort and my love of boxing will help me to get the Ali Trophy.”
Said Yigit: “It’s a great opportunity, and I’m honored to have been chosen to fight among the best in the division. This Ali Trophy tournament is a great example of how boxing should be promoted: the best fighting the best. That’s where I want to be and these are the fighters I want to face.”
Also in the field will be Josh Taylor (13-0, 11 KOs), a 27-year-old southpaw from Scotland. He scored a hard-fought unanimous decision over former titlist Viktor Postol on June 23.
“I am delighted to have had to the opportunity to join the competition,” Taylor said. “It’s a great chance for me to become world champion with multiple organizations. It is also a great honor to fight for the Ali Trophy in honor of the greatest boxer of all time.”
There are two more spots available with one expected to go to 25-year-old Cleveland contender Ryan Martin (22-0, 12 KOs).
There will be three tournaments in the WBSS second season, with one taking place at bantamweight. The third division is to be announced.
The bantamweight field has been partially announced with Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel Rodriguez (18-0, 12 KOs), 25, due to make his first defense against mandatory challenger Jason Moloney (17-0, 14 KOs), 27, of Australia, in the quarterfinals. Also set to take part are titleholders Ryan Burnett (19-0, 9 KOs), 26, of Northern Ireland and Zolani Tete (27-3, 21 KOs), a 30-year-old southpaw from South Africa. Japanese star Naoya Inoue (16-0, 14 KOs), 25, has not been formally announced as a participant, but he said after his first-round knockout of Jamie McDonnell to win a secondary belt on May 25 in Tokyo that he would be part of the field.
The second season tournaments now also have an American broadcaster after going without for most of the first season. The Perform Group’s DAZN all-sports streaming service, which launches soon in the United States, announced on Monday that it has secured the rights for all three tournaments. DAZN said it will stream all 15 cards and 21 tournament fights.
“As a platform built for the fans, DAZN has been mining boxing chats and forums to see how we can bring immediate value to the community,” DAZN CEO James Rushton said. “It became obvious that Americans felt left out of the terrific action and thrilling competition on display in the World Boxing Super Series. To that end, we’re happy to announce that we’ll stream every fight of all three tournaments. This is just the beginning.”
The deal is DAZN’s second in boxing, having announced in May an eight-year, $1 billion deal to stream Matchroom Boxing events, although only two years are guaranteed.