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The World Boxing Super Series held its draft gala, which you can rewatch below, in Moscow earlier this afternoon, wherein the previously announced seeded fighters selected their first opponents.
Your super lightweight quarterfinals:
#1 Regis Prograis vs. Terry Flanagan
#2 Josh Taylor vs. Ryan Martin
#3 Kiryl Relikh vs. Eduard Troyanovsky
#4 Ivan Baranchyk vs. Anthony Yigit
Your bantamweight quarterfinals:
#1 Ryan Burnett vs. Nonito Donaire
#2 Naoya Inoue vs. Juan Carlos Payano
#3 Zolani Tete vs. Misha Aloyan
#4 Emmanuel Rodriguez vs. Jason Moloney
Relikh-Troyanovsky, Baranchyk-Yigit, and Rodriguez-Moloney were decided beforehand due to mandatory obligations, while the remaining seeded fighters got to choose their foes in sequential fashion.
The super lightweight field looks as expected and it’s understandable that Burnett would choose Donaire, who is on the decline and hasn’t made the bantamweight limit in seven years, but I’ll admit to being a bit surprised that Inoue chose Payano over the unproven Aloyan.
Any of these fights tickle your fancies, or will you be waiting until the semis to get properly invested?