WBC Grand Prix of Boxing

[gilgamesh]

The good thing about this Tournament is the matchups it's creating. It probably will not turn out to be a marketing success because it's just too f*cking much. At the very least they need to space it out a little bit instead of cramming such a whirlwind of action into 4 days, but it's been pretty cool. I can't recall seeing a Professional Tournament of this sort before.

As we know Unbeaten prospects tend to be matched carefully in this sport. Matched against guys they're heavily favored against usually until probably there 15th fight or so when they might be tested a little, and even then it's carefully matched.

Well this Tournament is throwing several either Unbeaten or rarely beaten Prospects into a Tournament all at once, and making them fight for who's gonna come out on top.

It is pretty uncommon that an unbeaten prospect would have to go through the gauntlet of a Tournament where he'll be facing up to 5 potentially dangerous opponents in a row, but that can very easily be the case here as everyone is coming in with a winning record.

[gilgamesh]

In the Featherweight Tournament Hector Munguia Jr, Troy Nash and Brandon Mosqueda particularly stood out as talent to keep an eye on going forward. I believe Munguia and Nash are gonna be matched up in the next round of the Tournament so that's gonna be a hell of a matchup.

Mohammad Issa and Derek Pomerleau were some of the better fighters I saw in the Middleweight Tournament so far.

The 140 pound division wasn't particularly inspiring to be honest. There was this guy named Hassan Hamdan who managed to win the fight despite having a torn bicep from the 3rd round on. He was basically a one armed fighter, and managed to squeeze out the win to keep his unbeaten record. Not bad. I doubt he'll be able to continue in the Tournament though with that injury.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Here’s todays

[gregregegg]

I’ll be interested in seeing the highlights for the heavyweights. Mid-low levle 6 rounders are fun as heavies…

Glanced through a few results… the Uzbek cruiser (well heavy but not super heavy) gold medalist who I imagine is the favorite got matched up with an 18 year old from Panama… very very unfortunate for a kid to have to step way beyond there level… but I guess that’s tournament boxing…

[gilgamesh]

I’ll be interested in seeing the highlights for the heavyweights. Mid-low levle 6 rounders are fun as heavies…

Glanced through a few results… the Uzbek cruiser (well heavy but not super heavy) gold medalist who I imagine is the favorite got matched up with an 18 year old from Panama… very very unfortunate for a kid to have to step way beyond there level… but I guess that’s tournament boxing…

We had an interesting thing happen in the Heavyweight Tournament where Ahmed Krnjic competed in it. What makes that significant is that he also competed in the Glory Kickboxing: Last Heavyweight Standing Tournament earlier this month. He lost in the Kickboxing Tourney. He won in this one.

The standout talents from the Heavyweight Tournament to me so far are Devon Young and Lalizbek Mullojonov.

Tsotne Rogava was a a pretty big puncher as well, and had a patient approach. He could be one to keep an eye on going forward in the Tournament.

I feel like I could pretty accurately predict how the next Round of the Heavyweight portion of the Tournament is gonna go.

[gregregegg]

If the Uzbek wasn’t in the draw and I was fwank I would have put Moses into it… risk reward seems too high with him in there though.

I wonder how many others he scared off. Shame they didn’t get a few more quality guys in there… teremoa would have been fun.

[JamesPhilips]

What is that awful 30’second horn thing they have going on?

Also almost all the heavyweights looked out of shape.

[gilgamesh]

What is that awful 30’second horn thing they have going on?

Also almost all the heavyweights looked out of shape.

Yeah I could do without the horn.

I do like the addition of the rule where they review knockdowns to either confirm or overturn the referee's decision. One time the referee incorrectly ruled it a slip, and they properly overturned it. So things like that have come into play.

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBC Boxing Grand Prix – Phase 2

Phase one of the Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix was held from April 17th to 20th, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and twenty-eight boxers from across the globe travelled to the Middle East with the resolute intention of achieving glory.

The event represented the realization of a long-held aspiration of our late Great Lifetime President Don José Sulaimán, which was ultimately brought to fruition through the support of Riyadh Season and His Excellency, Turki Alalshik.

Phase one of the WBC Riyadh Season Grand Prix was a landmark occasion. Sixty-four world-class bouts were contested across the featherweight, super lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight divisions. Its innovative format, the assembly of exceptional international talent, and the unprecedented platform it provided for the future stars of boxing established it as a historic event.

The world’s attention now turns to the upcoming matches, scheduled for June 20th and 21st, 2025. These coming days will determine the fighters who will advance to the next stage of this thrilling tournament.

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBC Boxing Grand Prix Phase II set for June 20-21 in Riyadh

The WBC Boxing Grand Prix is set for its next phase.

The groundbreaking tournament will return for its second wave of bouts on June 20 and June 21, live on DAZN from Global Theatre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All 64 remaining participants will compete across four weight divisions - featherweight, junior welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight - in a bid to advance to the quarterfinal round.

A decades-long vision of late, former longtime WBC president José Sulaimán came to fruition this past April in Riyadh.

“The event represented the realization of a long-held aspiration of our late Great Lifetime President Don José Sulaimán, which was ultimately brought to fruition through the support of Riyadh Season and His Excellency, Turki Alalshikh," noted the sanctioning body.

The first wave the tournament featured 128 prospects, all of whom fought over a four-day span. The winners from those bouts are now set to return in hopes of claiming the Jose Sulaimán Trophy, awarded to the last boxer standing in each weight division.

All 32 bouts are scheduled for six rounds apiece. As was the case with the first round of action in April mong the unique rules in place:

There will be a confirmed winner in every bout.

- Tiebreaker procedures are in place in the event that the scores are knotted at the end of six rounds. In addition to the 10-point must-system, judges are required to grade the advantage for the winning boxer of that round: C (close), M (moderate), D (decisive) or E (extreme).
- Open scoring will be implemented, a common practice for WBC-sanctioned global bouts (excluding the U.S., U.K. and select other markets).
- Instant replay will be fully utilized to confirm in-ring rulings (knockdowns, fouls, etc.) or for immediate protest if it is believed such a call was missed.
- In addition to the 10-second clapper and the final bell, a 30-second buzzer will sound – with the intention to motivate the boxers to pick up the pace, particularly in perceived close rounds.
- Green and gold corners will replace the traditional red and blue. Boxers will wear uniforms in accordance with this color scheme, reflective of the WBC belt.
- All boxers are subject to random drug testing as contracted through VADA.

[Jimmy2025]

I wonder how many people are tuning into this tournament? I would estimate that the numbers are woeful.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix Second Stage

Everything is ready for the second stage of the Boxing Grand Prix, the first world boxing championship in history, which will be organized by the World Boxing Council (WBC). It is a single-elimination tournament.

The first world boxing championship in history is being organized by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman and Turki Alalshikh.
One of the main purposes of the World Championship is to showcase emerging boxing talent.

The Boxing Grand Prix will consist of five stages, with the first stage already completed. We now have a date and location for the second stage:

- June 20 and 21.
- at the Skate Rink BLVD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As in the first stage, the new rules and scoring systems will continue to be implemented for the fights. The WBC, in its quest to take boxing to the highest level, will implement new rules:

- Scores will be announced after the second and fourth rounds.
- An audible warning will be given 30 seconds before the end of each round.
- There will be no possibility of a draw.
- Instant replays will be available.
- Judges will be seated on high chairs for a better view.

Here are some other important points about the second stage of the Riyadh Season Boxing Grand Prix.

- There will be four divisions: featherweight, super lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight.
- There are 64 boxers, 16 per division.
- Twenty-nine countries will participate.
- The second stage will feature 64 fights of six rounds each.
- The next stages will follow in August, October, and the grand finale in December.
- The prize for the winners will be just over two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000), in addition to becoming mandatory challengers for the WBC silver title in their respective divisions.
- There will be four reserve fighters per category.

[londonwar]

You'd need a tardis to make this the first world boxing championship in history

[Ruthless-RKO]

Next round

[margaret thatcher]

caught bits of it, the ukranian danylo lozan most impressive of the guys i saw, defo a handful. also won the u23 euros last year. incidentally, ukranians are making it back into more international competitions again in the ams after a bit of a lull, id guess war related, and already doing very well

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/1003296

also irishman paul ryan did the whole 'opponent misses and you look into the crowd ' schtick , only to be knocked out a couple minutes later by canuck der pomerlau. tbf ryan was boxing very well, but dont think he's got the chin for it, was kod by a journeyman in 27 seconds in his other loss

[Jimmy2025]

also irishman paul ryan did the whole 'opponent misses and you look into the crowd ' schtick , only to be knocked out a couple minutes later...

got to laugh.

[Ruthless-RKO]

also irishman paul ryan did the whole 'opponent misses and you look into the crowd ' schtick , only to be knocked out a couple minutes later...

got to laugh.

Someone tweeted it.

I need to see it.

I didn’t bother clicking

[Ruthless-RKO]

Today’s

[margaret thatcher]

really enjoying this. but man these hws are messy. way weaker talent pool than the other divisions, which have done themselves proud so far with good quality and fighting spirit

[margaret thatcher]

wow! marko milun drops pete lacz in round 1, only for lacz to ktfo him a minute later

[margaret thatcher]

the uzbek olympic hw champ the best boxer in this by miles at heavy, someone gonna have to land a homerun on him or hope he has no gas tank. the morocan aint bad, was an olympian himself after all, he got an unlucky match here

[Ruthless-RKO]

Scroll down for all of the Phase 2 Day 2 results...

Featherweight

Bekizizwe Maitse (8-1, 3 KOs) def. Juma Choki (10-1-1, 3 KOs) by UD6. Scores: 59-55, 60-54, 58-56

Ayubkhon Bakhitiyorov (8-0, 5 KOs) def. Jhon Bolano (9-1, 8 KOs) by UD6. Scores: 59-55, 59-55, 59-55

Muhamet Qamili (16-0, 7 KOs) def. Holy Dorgbetor (14-1-1, 8 KOs) by UD6. Scores: 60-53, 59-54, 59-54

Yoni Valverde Jr. (15-0, 3 KOs) def. Oleksandr Solomenikov (16-2, 8 KOs) by MD6. Scores: 57-57, 58-56, 59-55

Yusef Adeniji (16-0, 10 KOs) def. Alexander Kovrgin (8-2, 6 KOs) by MD6. Scores: 56-56, 57-55, 59-53

Troy Nash (5-0, 1 KO) def. Zholdas Zhengissov (9-1, 4 KOs) by UD6. Scores: 60-54, 60-54, 60-54

Brandon Mejia Mosqueda (10-0, 9 KOs) def. Gully Powar (12-1, 1 KO) by UD6. Scores: 59-54, 60-53, 60-53

Iman Lee (14-0, 8 KOs) def. Hector Munguia Jr. (15-1-1, 9 KOs) by UD6. Scores: 58-56, 59-55, 59-55

Heavyweight

Dante Stone (19-1, 12 KOs) def. Emiliano Mendoza (5-1-1, 1 KO) by UD6. Scores: 59-55, 60-54, 60-54

Keaton Gomes (12-3, 10 KOs) def. Alija Mesic (2-1, 2 KOs) TKO4

Devon Young (9-0, 7 KOs) def. Jonathan Vergara (6-3, 4 KOs) by UD6. Scores: 59-54, 58-55, 58-55

Kevin Ramirez (10-0-1, 4 KOs) def. Reagan Apanu (3-1, 1 KO) by UD6. Scores: 59-54, 59-54, 59-54

Peter Lacz (14-0, 10 KOs) def. Marko Milun (1-1) by KO1

Lazibek Mullojonov (7-0, 6 KOs) def. Youness Baalla (2-1-1, 2 KOs) by UD6. Scores: 60-54, 60-54, 60-54

Ahmed Krnjic (5-0, 4 KOs) def. Davide Brito (7-2, 3 KOs) by TKO5

Tsotne Rogava (12-0, 8 KOs) def. Vitally Stalchenko (10-1, 6 KOs) by UD6. Scores: 60-54, 58-56, 58-56

[Ruthless-RKO]

Phase 3 or Quarterfinals will be held August 13, according to the WBC. Here are the match ups:

Featherweight Division (126 lbs)

Yusuf Adisa Adeniji (Nigeria) vs. Yoni Valverde (France)
Muhamet Qamili (Italy) vs. Troy Nash (USA)
Iman Lee (USA) vs. Bekizizwe Maitse (South Africa)
Ayubkhon Bakhtiyorov (Uzbekistan) vs. Brandon Mejia Mosqueda (Mexico)

Super Lightweight Division (140 lbs)

Sanatali Toltayev (Kazakhstan) vs. Danylo Lozan (Ukraine)
Misael Cabrera Urías (Mexico) vs. Mujibillo Tursunov (Uzbekistan)
Carlos Utria (Colombia) vs. Spencer Wilcox (Canada)
Fiorenzo Priolo (Italy) vs. Ntethelelo Nkosi (South Africa)

Middleweight Division (160 lbs)

Dmytro Rybalko (Ukraine) vs. Derek Pomerleau (Canada)
Ephrem Bariko (France) vs. Carlos Sinisterra Palacios (Colombia)
Dylan Biggs (Australia) vs. Petro Frolov (Ukraine)
Emiliano Aguillón Castro (Mexico) vs. Lancelot de la Chappelle (France)

Heavyweight Division (+224 lbs)

Keaton Gomes (South Africa) vs. Devon Young (USA)
Ahmed Krnjic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) vs.Tsotne Rogava (Ukraine)
Piotr Lacz (Poland) vs. Kevin Ramírez (Argentina)
Dante Stone (USA) vs. Youness Baalla (Morocco)

[Ruthless-RKO]

WBC Grand Prix quarterfinalists Emiliano Aguillon, Misael Cabrera make their own ways

Emiliano Aguillon and Misael Cabrera joined the WBC Grand Prix through very different means.

Aguillon, a 20-year-old undefeated middleweight prospect, gave the answer you might expect.

“It was my team, my management, who I’m very thankful with, that let me know about the tournament,” Aguillon told Boxing Scene through translator Martín Bater in a joint interview over Zoom. “I didn’t hesitate one bit. I signed the papers, and here we are, third phase of the tournament – really excited.”

The 26-year-old Cabrera had to secure his spot himself.

“I don’t have the fortune of having a promoter,” Cabrera said through Bater. “I post on Facebook and Instagram, and I signed up for [the Grand Prix] myself, being optimistic about my chances. I had been battling for a while, so I was like, ‘Why not? Let’s toss my hat in the ring out there and see what comes out of it.’

“Fortunately, it all worked out, and now I’m here. So I’m really happy with how everything has turned out.”

Going it alone in the fight game comes with challenges, of course.

“It’s not easy to always have to go up against the current, to have to swim upstream without a team, without a promoter. I have always overcome the odds. … I was injured for two years – a back injury, the spine. It was pretty bad, and the people that were holding my hand back then, they let it go. I never lost faith. I rehabbed, I stayed optimistic, and it’s all paying off, the effort I had to make.”

The WBC Grand Prix is hosting a 32-fighter tournament for each of the featherweight, junior welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight divisions. Cabrera and Aguillon have each advanced to the final eight of their respective events. Aguillon is a middleweight, a young hope in a desolate division, while Cabrera campaigns at 140lbs. Their next fights, both in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will stream on DAZN on August 13.

Both Cabrera and Aguillon are Mexican, following a storied history of fighters such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Juan Manuel Marquez and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. They each dream of winning a world championship.

Cabrera, 17-2-1 (11 KOs), is making the most of his Grand Prix opportunity thus far. He has hardly lost a round in his first two fights, defeating his two formerly undefeated opponents by wide unanimous decisions. He’ll next fight Mujibillo Tursunov.

Aguillon, 13-0-1 (7 KOs), also won his first two fights via six-round unanimous decisions – first against the headbutt-happy Ishtvan Herzheni, who lost three points for butting, and then a cleaner, closer fight with Jose Ramon Montes. His quarterfinal will come against the wonderfully named Lancelot Proton de la Chapelle, 17-1-1 (5 KOs), who you will be pleased to know is as French as his name sounds.

Though not as self-sufficient as his compatriot, Aguillon has a compelling backstory of his own.

“My dad got me into boxing,” Aguillon told BS. “I was getting picked on at school, so it was a way for my dad to show me how to defend myself. … I started loving boxing more and more.” The bullying subsided as Aguillon’s skills developed.

“I’m an easygoing person,” Aguillon said. “I don’t like to be a troublemaker. I’m a chill guy, not the one that tries to pick a fight in any kind of setting outside the ring.”

Inside the ring is another story, of course, and Aguillon has ambitions to win the tournament.

Cabrera was more blunt: “My goal for this tournament is to go after the trophy and demolish everything and everyone that’s in my way.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Wednesday, August 13

DAZN, 3:00 am ET, WBC Boxing Grand Prix: Quarterfinals.

From Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 32 fighters remain across the four divisions, and this is where they’ll get winnowed down to 16.