WBSS Comes To Chicago This Weekend: Mairis Briedis Vs Noel Mikaelian & Krzysztof Glowacki Vs Maksim Vlasov
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By Rich “Lite It Up” Lopez
WBSS continues with their tournament yet again this weekend and it will take place in Chicago. The Quarterfinals in the Cruiserweight division will take center stage at the UIC Pavilion. The fighter who won the Ali Trophy last time in the division was Oleksandr Usyk and he also claimed all the world titles as well. The WBSS has decided to move forward with a second season in this division. This Saturday the tournament will have two fights with four top fighters from different countries competing against each other.
WBSS welcomes back Season 1 contender Mairis Briedis, 24-1, 18 KO’s, of Latvia. Briedis fought very well in the 1st season and at that time was the WBC World Cruiserweight Champion. He won the 1st bout in the Quarterfinals when he beat Mike Perez by unanimous decision. He advanced to the Semi-Finals but was matched against Oleksandr Usyk, who was the top seed in the tournament. Briedis came up short in the decision but lost a majority decision and gave Usyk his toughest test up to date. Based on this performance, Briedis is now the top seed in the second season of the tournament. Briedis will face off against Armenian Noel Mikaelian, 23-1, 10 KO’s,who now lives in Germany. Mikaelian has been boxing professionally for seven years and is looking for a big win. He was close to a world title shot, but lost an IBF Cruiserweight title eliminator against former world champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk by a close split decision. Briedis is expected to win this fight but should have his hands full against Mikaelian.
The other quarterfinal match will feature Poland’s Krzysztof Glowacki, 30-1, 19 KO’s, who is looking to make a statement in the tournament and show once again why he belongs at top of the division. Glowacki had a good run and burst on the scene when he knocked out long time WBO Champion Marco Huck in 2015. He then followed that up with a decision win over former champion Steve Cunningham in 2016. Glowacki’s title reign came to a stop when he lost to Oleksandr Usyk the same year. Since then Glowacki has had 4 straight victories and is ready for the big stage once again. He will take on Russia’s Maksim Vlasov, 42-2, 25 KO’s. Vlasov has fought professionally for 13 years and has also fought in the Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions. He only has two losses on his record but against Gilberto Ramirez and Isaac Chilemba at Super Middleweight. Vlasov has been fighting at Cruiserweight for the last three years and has not lost a fight in the division. This will be a worthy challenge for Glowacki.
It will be a great doubleheader Saturday night in Chicago. The event will also be streamed live on DAZN.
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