World Series of Boxing

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The World Series of Boxing or WSB was an international boxing tournament that allowed amateur boxers to compete professionally while maintaining Olympic eligibility. It was organized by AIBA from 2010 to 2018. AIBA confirmed in 2019 that the league had ceased operations amid mounting financial losses.[1]

LA Matadors vs. Moscow Dynamo in Hollywood, CA on 4 December 2011. Both amateur boxers compete without vests or head guards.

History

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The World Series of Boxing had a precursor in the International Boxing League, a short-lived U.S. venture established in November 1969 after the first U.S.—Soviet boxing dual meet in 1969. The league functioned until 1971 and hosted several exhibition tours of the Soviet boxing team across the United States to cities where IBL teams were located. Bill Daniels was the boss of the league. The league folded due to the unprofitable nature of amateur boxing in North America.

Format

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Unlike in amateur boxing at the start of the World Series of Boxing's existence, competitors fought bare-chested and were not permitted to wear protective headgear. Each participating boxer was drafted by one of its international franchises, and could earn money by taking part in professional-style bouts. The competitors were allowed to maintain Olympic and AIBA world championship eligibility.

Like professional boxing, each bout was decided by the scores of three judges, or by a knockout, a technical knockout or a walkover. A WSB meet between two international franchises consisted of bouts in ten (formerly five) weight categories. The fights consisted of five three-minute rounds in each bout and the team that won the most number of bouts won the meet.[2]

Weight classes

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Until season 4, the World Series of Boxing had five weight categories which were different from the 10 categories in amateur (Olympic) boxing or 17 categories in professional boxing. These were Heavyweight (91+ kg), Light heavyweight (80–85 kg), Middleweight (68–73 kg), Lightweight (57–61 kg) and Bantamweight (50–54 kg). In the fourth season (2013–14), the number of weight classes was increased to ten, mirroring amateur (Olympic) boxing.

Teams

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Results

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Season Teams Winners Runners-up Final score
2010–11 12   Paris United   Astana Arlans 6–4
2011–12 12   D&G Milano Thunder   Dynamo Moscow 4–1
2012–13 12   Astana Arlans   Ukraine Otamans 6–5
2013–14 12   Cuba Domadores   Baku Fires 6–5
2015 16   Astana Arlans   Cuba Domadores 6–4
2016 16   Cuba Domadores   British Lionhearts 9–1
2017 12   Astana Arlans   Cuba Domadores 6–5
2018 12   Cuba Domadores   Astana Arlans 7–3

Performance by club

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Performance in the WSB finals by club
Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runners-up years
  Astana Arlans 3 2
  Cuba Domadores 3 2
  Paris United 1 0
  D&G Milano Thunder 1 0
  Dynamo Moscow 0 1
  Ukraine Otamans 0 1
  Baku Fires 0 1
  British Lionhearts 0 1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Morgan, Liam. "World Series of Boxing set to collapse as AIBA confirm event is "inactive"". insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  2. ^ "About WSB - World Series of Boxing". Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
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