Mairis Briedis battles Yunier Dorticos on March 21 in WBSS final

By Boxing News - 01/10/2020 - Comments

By Matt Lieberman: Nine months after their last fights in the semi-finals of the WBSS, IBF cruiserweight champion Yunier ‘The KO Doctor’ Dorticos (24-1, 22 KOs) and former WBC champion Mairis Briedis (26-1, 19 KOs) will be meeting in the final on March 21.

The winner of the Briedis vs. Dorticos fight will be viewed as the #1 cruiserweight in the division by boxing fans. Obviously, Arsen Goulamirian, Beibut Shumenov, Alexey Egorov and Lawrence Okolie will all have something to say about that.

Dorticos vs. Briedis needs a conclusive winner

It’s good that the WBSS cruiserweight tournament is finally about to conclude, in view of the fact that many boxing fans wondered if would ever happen. The 34-year-old Briedis’ semifinal fight against Krzysztof Glowacki was filled with controversy with the way the match ended. Although Briedis stopped the Polish fighter Glowacki in the 3rd round, the fight was tarnished with took place during round 2.

Glowacki tagged Briedis with a punch to the back of the head. Briedis responded with an elbow that put Glowacki on the canvas. Glowacki got back up, and the two fighters traded bombs. They continued to throw shots after the bell.

In the meantime, referee Robert Byrd failed to realize that the round had ended, and he mistakenly let the two fighters trade leather at center ring. Briedis dropped Glowacki, and it was counted as a legitimate knockdown despite the round having ended. Glowacki, 33, looked badly hurt as he walked back to his corner after Byrd finally realized the round had ended.

The two will be battling it out for the Ali Trophy at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia. Also on the line for the World Boxing Super Series final between Briedis and Dorticos will be The Ring Magazine cruiserweight title.

“I’m really looking forward to the final,” said Briedis. “It is fantastic for Latvia to be able to host an event of such magnitude. Millions and millions of eyes worldwide will be watching what’s happening at the Arena Riga on fight night.

Dorticos will be hard to beat

In his two fights in the WBSS tournament, ‘The KO Doctor’ Dorticos has destroyed Andrew Tabiti and beaten Mateusz Masternak. The punching power of Dorticos was undeniable in both fights, as looked impressive in breezing through his first two matches to get to the final.

For his part, Briedis had a hard time defeating Noel Mikaelian in his quarter-final match in winning a hard fought 12 round decision before beating Glowacki by a third round knockout in the semifinals. Briedis will need to raise his game for him to beat Dorticos in the fight, since he’s facing a guy that end the fight on a moment’s notice.

The Latvian Briedis will have the home tuft against Dorticos in the final, and that could count for a lot. Briedis fights well when he’s in front of his fans, and it’s not easy to beat him by decision.

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