This Saturday night in Germany, the World Boxing Super Series super middleweight tournament continues as Chris Eubank Jr (25-1) faces Avni Yildirim (16-0)in quarterfinal action.
We last saw the eclectic Eubank Jr this past July when he defended his minor IBO world title at 168 pounds against veteran forer champion Arthur Abraham.
This is going to be an interesting fight in that Eubank Jr is extremely polished in the ring while Yilidrim is more brutish. This could lead to fireworks or it could lead to a methodical fight. Eubank Jr is fighting his third bout at 168 pounds and his knockout power has yet to manifest itself. This one could turn into 12 rounds of Eubank Jr battering Yilidrim.
Yilidrim has been fighting professionally since 2014 so this is his step-up fight. He has a few recognizable names on his resume (Glen Johnson, Aaron Pryor Jr, Marco Antonio Periban) But Eubank Jr represents his toughest challenge to date by far. He most recently stepped out of his comfort zone, going 2-0 in a pair of fights in Mexico and this fight sees him return to Germany, where he has fought most of his career.
The first bout of the 168 pound tournament took place on September 16th when Callum Smith (23-0) advanced with a win over previously unbeaten Erik Skoglund (26-1). The remaining two quarterfinal bouts are scheduled for October as George Groves (26-3) faces Jamie Cox (24-0) on the 14th and Jurgen Brahmer (48-3) fights Rob Brant (22-0) on the 27th.
The WBSS cruiserweight tournament started in September as well and that tourney has seen Oleksandr Usyk, Yunier Dorticos and Mairis Briedis all advance to the second round. The 200 pound tourney wraps up on October 21st with Murat Gassiev (24-0) taking on Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (53-3-1).
World Boxing Super Series Q3 – Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle – Stuttgart, Germany
Super Middleweight 12 rounds –
Avni Yildirim +475 o9½ -175
Chris Eubank Jr -650 u9½ +145
