Kalle Sauerland predicts WBSS Season 3 to start in early 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic and resultant shutdown/lockdown has drastically altered plans worldwide. We should finally see live boxing return, sans fans, next month, but the truly big fights may well be held back until crowds are once again allowed to attend. This also means the World Boxing Super Series, initially hoping to kick off Season 3 this year, is still waiting to stage the last of its three finals from Season 2, the cruiserweight showpiece between Mairis Briedis and Yuniel Dorticos. As Kalle Sauerland, Chief Boxing Officer for Comosa AG who run the hugely popular tournament, explains, this has has a knock-on effect for Season 3.

"The plan was straight after the final to announce Season 3, three-four weeks after," Sauerland revealed (Full video interview below). "Hopefully we can try and get the final done in September and I see Season 3, realistically, in the first quarter of 2021. It’s not realistic to do it before. Let the guys fight in September, October, then the series can start in January, Febraury, March. It’s not the end of the world."

Brieidis vs Dorticos was first announced for March 21 in the former’s hometown of Riga, Latvia then postponed to May 16 in the same location. The second time around, Comosa opted not to delay and cancel the fight until they had a better idea of when live sport would return.

"The first time we postponed it, the second time we just cancelled it," Sauerland explained. "We expect it will happen but how can we rightfully say we can put it on this year? I hope we can do the final and that’s what we fully intend to do. If I was a betting man, I don’t see boxing taking place in front of a meaningful audience this year."