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Richard Schaefer and Kalle Sauerland are the TSS 2019 Promoter(s) of the Year

The founders and promoters of the World Boxing Super Series, Richard Schaefer and Kalle Sauerland, are the 2019 TSS Promoter(s) of the Year.
Who else would it be?
Boxing would have decidedly much less interesting over the course of the past 12 months had not the architects of the WBSS, Schaefer and Sauerland, continued their effort to put boxing politics aside and bring together the best fighters available from specific weight classes for single-elimination tournaments designed to crown the best overall fighter in the division.
“The World Boxing Super Series will create the next superstars in world boxing,” Sauerland said back in 2017 after the first season of the tournament was announced. “This tournament does not detract from the day-to-day nature of boxing, but it is completely the way forward for the sport.â

Kalle Sauerland and “Associates”
Two years and the same number of WBSS tournaments later, Sauerlandâs words seem prophetic in hindsight. How else besides this forward-thinking boxing tournament might the meteoric rise of eventual tournament winners Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue have happened without this great idea, and, perhaps more importantly, the tenacious follow-through it must have taken to get it done?
Iâll tell you how. Either very slowly or not at all. Because boxing careers outside the confines of the WBSS are moved painstakingly slow.
So, the WBSS is the best thing to happen in boxing in a long time. The fact that seemingly nobody else in the sport had the idea before Schaefer and Sauerland illustrates another important point. Boxingâs most glaring need as a culture is to more fully embrace possible paths up the mountain that might carry the sport into a bold new future.

Richard Schaefer
This yearâs tournaments included fantastic fields in the bantamweight, junior lightweight and cruiserweight divisions. Some of the best fighters in the sport were involved, including bantamweights Naoya Inoue, Nonito Donaire and Ryan Burnett, junior welterweights Josh Taylor and Regis Prograis, and cruiserweights Mairis Briedis, Yunier Dorticos and Krzysztof GĆowacki.
Perhaps even more impressive is that Fight of the Year candidates seemed to consistently unfold during the WBSS in 2019. Josh Taylorâs defeat of Regis Prograis in October at Londonâs O2 Arena to unify world titles in the 140-pound division was an old-school, throwback scrap between two undefeated world champions itching to prove they belonged at the highest levels of the sport. Both men certainly did that.
And some believe the bantamweight dustup between rising pound-for-pound superstar Naoya Inoue and future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire in November in Japan might have been the even better fight. Who could have predicted such a valiant effort from the 37-year-old Donaire against arguably the hardest-hitting knockout puncher pound-for-pound this side of Deontay Wilder?
Theoretically, these great fights could have been made without the WBSS, but thatâs long been the problem in the sport full of great fighters but short of great fights made between them: Fights like these usually donât get made.
Both 2019 tournament winners, Taylor and Inoue, were served greatly by their participation. The same could be said of Donaire whose effort summoned forth a greater appreciation of his great career. Perhaps the most amazing part about the whole deal is that the rising tide of the WBSS surely seems to lift all ships.
Because here is boxing in its finest form. For those who are brave enough, itâs a clear path toward divisional supremacyâone that reveals the very best things about the most daring fighters the sport has to offer.
That isnât to say the endeavor has gone perfectly smooth. If anything, the fact that little hiccups have come up along the way proves just how massive in scope the WBSS truly is among boxingâs other big events.
From the reported storyline that the tournament was on the verge of collapsing over the summer over financial issues, to the relative slow move of some of the tournament brackets because locations, dates, and everything around the fights themselves have to be sorted out, nothing as starkly different as the WBSS has been launched among the stodgy old-world politics of boxing without running into a few problems.
For instance, the WBSS cruiserweight final is still waiting on a date and location to be set for the semi-final winners who earned their places back in June, Mairis Briedis and Yunier Dorticos.
Briedis, by the way, was stripped of his WBC belt for choosing to stay the course over mindlessly following the orders of a sanctioning organization that would rather keep those fees coming back to them all year long than wait for the WBSS to set a date.
Perhaps, though, such a turn of events fits our current narrative quite nicely.
Because how much longer might it take for everyone in boxing to realize that the prize the WBSS offers, both in terms of money and historical prestige, is worth much more to a fighter in the long run than the constantly growing number of alphabet belts spread throughout the boxing world could hope to be?
And how many more fighters will have to turn into stars right before our very eyes until the alphabet gangs realize what might happen in the long run if they donât start getting their acts together?
Whatever the case, one thing is clear to us at TSS after a reviewing the WBSSâs 2019 campaign: Those two guys who created it and run the thing are geniuses, and there was no better job done by anyone in the sport last year of promoting fighters, fights and boxing as a culture.
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Argentinaâs Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentinaâs Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Iokaâs familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.
The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.
But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasnât able to capitalize on the momentum swing.
Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.
Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse âBamâ Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonioâs Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africaâs obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
As for Ioka, had he won todayâs rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.
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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

In a torrid battle Mexicoâs Emanuel âVaqueroâ Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippineâs Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.
What do they feed these guys?
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarreteâs left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.
From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.
It was savage.
Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.
Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.
Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarreteâs face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.
But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the refereeâs call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.
Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.
Interim IBF Lightweight Title
The sharp-shooting Raymond âDangerâ Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russiaâs Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.
Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.
Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaevâs guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.
Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratallaâs accuracy.
There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.
Muratalla was brief.
âHe was a tough fighter,â said Muratalla. âMy defense is something I work on a lot.â
Perla Wins
Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.
Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Wardâs attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Frank Warrenâs Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Irelandâs Anthony âApacheâ Cacace.
Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.
In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Woodâs trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.
Akin to Wood, Northern Irelandâs Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasnât at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.
Semi-Wind-Up
Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
This was Taylorâs first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.
Other Bouts of Note
In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Irelandâs previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.
In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The refereeâs scorecard read 96-94.
Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.
A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).
Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry
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