by Cliff Rold

In 2016, Ring’s Magazine’s State of the Game issue issued what has become an annual compilation of the best divisions in boxing. Cruiserweight topped the list. That was before the conception of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) commencing later today with its first of four quarterfinal bouts.

On the 2017 list, cruiserweight (or the 200 lb. division) slipped to fourth. Right in front of it was the Jr. bantamweight division hosting tonight’s anticipated “SuperFly” card. Jr. bantamweight’s elevation comes with the arrival in the last year of multiple faces that made flyweight the 2014 ‘best division’ selection.

By the time the dust settles in both classes, it would be no surprise if cruiserweight and Jr. bantamweight are battling for the field lead with some distance from everyone else.

The Jr. bantamweights, on a single night, will feature the top four and arguably top five fighters in the class. The cruiserweight WBSS tournament (there is another at super middleweight) playing out through 2018 features the top two in both the TBRB and Ring ratings, with six of the top ten TBRB contenders and five of the Ring’s in action.

At the end of the WBSS, we are almost guaranteed the first true lineal world champion at cruiserweight since Tomasz Adamek vacated his claims in a move to heavyweight in 2009.

For fans of these two classically action heavy divisions, and fans of fistic violence in general, today has two of the best elements of boxing excitement: the thrill of what is here and the rapturous anticipation of what more there is to come.

The WBSS begins with a showdown between the potential future ruler of the domain and one of its most decorated veterans. 

Let’s go the report card.

The Ledger

Oleksandr Usyk

Age: 30

Title: WBO cruiserweight (2016-Present, 2 Defenses)

Previous Titles: None

Height: 6’3

Weight: 199 lbs.

Hails from: Kiev, Ukraine

Record: 12-0, 10 KO

Rankings: #1 (BoxingScene, TBRB, ESPN, Ring, Boxing Monthly, BoxRec)

Record in Title Fights: 3-0, 1 KO

WBSS Seed: 1

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: Krzystof Glowacki UD12

Vs.

Marco Huck

Age: 32

Title: None

Previous Titles: WBO cruiserweight (2009-15, 13 defenses)

Height: 6’2

Weight: 198 lbs.

Hails from: Berlin, Germany (Born in Serbia)

Record: 40-4-1, 27 KO, 2 KOBY?

Record in Major Title Fights: 13-4-1, 6 KO, 2 KOBY

Rankings: #7 (BoxingScene, ESPN, Ring, BoxRec), #8 (Boxing Monthly), #10 (TBRB)

WBSS Seed: Unseeded

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: Steve Cunningham TKO by 12; Victor Ramirez UD12; Denis Lebedev SD12; Hugo Garay KO10; Alexander Povetkin L12; Firat Arslan UD12, TKO6; Krzysztof Glowacki TKO by 11; Mairis Briedis L12

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Usyk B; Huck B

Pre-Fight: Power – Usyk B+; Huck B

Pre-Fight: Defense – Usyk B+; Huck B-

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Usyk A; Huck B

Tournament Format

For those unfamiliar with the structure of the WBSS, only the top four fighters were seeded. The four seeded fighters, in order, are Usyk, IBF titlist Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KO), WBC titlist Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KO), and WBA ‘regular’ titlist Yuiner Dorticos (21-0, 20 KO). Seeded fighters were allowed to select their opponent from the unseeded pool, with the exception of Gassiev who will fulfill a mandatory against unseeded former titlist Krzyzstof Wlodarczyk (53-3-1, 37 KO), and the fourth seeds in general get what’s left. Usyk selected Huck and will travel to his home court in Germany.   

Next in the Bracket

The winner of this bout will face the winner of Briedis-Mike Perez (22-2-1, 14 KO). That fight will take place on September 30 and represents a wild card of a round. Briedis is coming off a dominant victory over Huck in April while Perez makes his second start at cruiserweight after a two-year layoff between 2015 and 2017. Perez, formerly a heavyweight hopeful, has slimmed down tremendously and has a chance to jump start his career in the WBSS.

Recent Form

Huck has appeared to be on the down swing after falling one short of topping Johnny Nelson for the WBO and division record for consecutive title defenses. In his 14th attempted defense, Huck was stopped by Glowacki in one of the best fights of 2015. He rebounded with two straight wins, one a stoppage of career rival Ola Afolabi, but looked like a man who has lost a step in being thoroughly outboxed and outworked by Briedis. At only 32, but with years of hard fights behind him, this could be Huck’s last real chance to stay in the thick of the division.

Usyk, a 2012 Olympic Gold medalist at heavyweight, impressed through a truncated development stage and barely lost a round in unseating Glowacki for his title in only his tenth official fight. The southpaw has a steadily pumping right jab and can fight going backwards or forwards. As his competition has increased, his power has appeared slightly less daunting than in early fights. He sometimes throws off his back foot, piling points rather than seeking maximum damage, perhaps a reflection of a long amateur career. He hasn’t struggled to win as he continues to grow in the paid ranks.

The Pick

Huck has had an excellent career and been around the title picture for over a decade but nothing lasts forever. Usyk is gaining seasoning with each outing, isn’t easy to catch clean, and can land from awkward angles while forcing his opponents to reset as he slides away. The WBSS is a chance for a star to emerge at cruiserweight and maybe even one day make noise at heavyweight. Usyk is seeded first for a reason. There are real dangers as the tournament progresses but Usyk is the man to expect to see in the semi-finals.

Report Card and Staff Picks 2017: 32-12

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com