1) What is the WSB and what will it bring to the
world of boxing?
2) What is the format of WSB?
3) What are the five weight divisions?
4) How many rounds there are and what
duration?
5) Are headguards used?
6) When does the WSB season start?
7) Which countries/cities are involved in
WSB?
8) How many boxers does a team have and do all
boxers come from the host country?
9) How do the franchisees select their
boxers?
10) Are transfers of boxers between teams
allowed?
11) Which boxers are eligible for WSB?
12) How does the scoring work?
13) Ten matches in four months means an average of
more than one match per two weeks. How can boxers be expected to
compete at this frequency?
14) How does WSB ensure the bouts are refereed and
judged fairly?
15) How does WSB counter the problem of
doping?
16) Where can I watch it?
1) What is the WSB
and what will it bring to the world of boxing?
Boxing has never benefited from a self-sustaining structure.
Aspiring boxers start in grassroots clubs, where the best become
sponsored by national federations. Through these federations,
boxers can make their way to the pinnacle of the sport of boxing:
the World Boxing Championships and the Olympic Games.
Unfortunately, moving into the professional ranks has in the past
meant giving up the chance to compete for your country in future
World Championships and Olympic Games.
The World Series of Boxing (WSB), initiated by the International
Boxing Association (AIBA), is the only professional boxing series
in which the boxers retain their Olympic eligibility. WSB is a
powerful league backed by every national boxing federation who in
turn receives a return on its investment in the boxers.
AIBA's vision for the World Series of Boxing is to preserve the
best of the new style of professional boxing while removing its
negative elements. The WSB reunites the broader boxing world and
its grassroots foundation, provides a bridge between Olympic boxing
and professional boxing, and helps boxing reclaim its noble
position in sport.
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2) What is the
format of WSB?
The World Series of Boxing is an annually recurring, global
competition featuring franchisees (teams) located around the world
(in Europe, Asia and North America).
The teams are divided into two groups A and B. Each group
consists of six teams: 2 Europeans, 2 Asians, 1 American and 1
new.
The competition comprises three phases:
I. Regular season of league matches
between teams
II. Play-off series: quarter-finals,
semi-finals, finals
III. Individual championships for
each weight category
During the Regular Season within each group,
the teams will meet each other once at home and once away, giving a
total of ten matches for each team.
The Play-Off Series consists of four
quarter-finals, two semi-finals and one final match. The top four
teams in each group will go through to the playoffs, with the top
team in one group facing the fourth place team in the other group
and the second place team in one group taking on the third place
team in the other group.
In order to ensure that the winners and runners-up in each group
do not meet each other before the team finals, the playoff schedule
is as follows:
|
HOME |
|
AWAY |
DATE |
|
QUARTER
FINALS |
| QF1 |
B4 |
vs |
A1 |
2-3/03/2012
|
| QF2 |
A3 |
B2 |
| QF3 |
B3 |
A2 |
| QF4 |
A4 |
B1 |
| QF1 |
A1 |
B4 |
9-10/03/2012 |
| QF2 |
B2 |
A3 |
| QF3 |
A2 |
B3 |
| QF4 |
B1 |
A4 |
|
SEMI-FINALS |
| SF1 |
WQF2 |
vs |
WQF1 |
23-24/03/2012 |
| SF2 |
WQF3 |
WQF4 |
| SF1 |
WQF1 |
WQF2 |
29-30/03/2012 |
| SF2 |
WQF4 |
WQF3 |
The quarterfinals, semi-finals and team final will be played
based on a knock-out system, on a home-and-away basis (two legs)
and the winner is determined by the number of most bouts won. If
the scores are tied after two legs, the winner will be decided by a
sudden death bout. The weight category of the sudden death bout for
all play-off matches has already been determined by a draw.
- Quarterfinal 1: Heavyweight
- Quarterfinal 2: Middleweight
- Quarterfinal 3: Heavyweight
- Quarterfinal 4: Light heavyweight
- Semi-final 1: Lightweight
- Semi-final 2: Lightweight
- Final: Lightweight
After each league season, the two top boxers in each weight
category based on the WSB ranking system compete in the
Individual Championships. The winner of each
weight category is the designated WSB World Champion in that weight
category for the relevant season.
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3) What are the five
weight divisions?
- Bantamweight: 50 - 54kg
- Lightweight: 57 - 61kg
- Middleweight: 68 - 73kg
- Light-Heavyweight: 80 - 85kg
- Heavyweight: 91+kg
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4) How many rounds
there are and what duration?
The match-day format consists of five bouts (one in each weight
category), with each bout consisting of five rounds of three
minutes each.
At the Individual Championships, the bouts consist of seven
rounds of three minutes each.
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5) Are headguards
used?
This question clearly implies concern for the safety of the
boxers. The central issue of boxing safety is, however, not the
headgear itself but the prevention of head injury and the best
possible management in the event that a head injury occurs. WSB has
the best concussion prevention and management system in the world.
It developed new gloves with the highest quality energy-absorbing
materials. Most injuries in professional boxing occur because
boxers are mismatched or are not of a very high skill level. But in
the WSB the most highly skilled Olympians and World Champions are
competing against each other. The WSB does not use headguards or
vests but cares for every aspect of its athletes' safety.
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6) When does the WSB
season start?
The WSB 2011-2012 Season will start on November 11, 2011. The
regular season runs from November 2011 through to the 18th of
February 2012. The quarter and semi-finals will take place in March
2012 and the team final will take place at the end of April 2012.
The Individual Championship bouts will take place in May 2012.
Franchise teams are free to organize Exhibition Matches in the off
season. See the full schedule here
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7) Which
countries/cities are involved in WSB?
The countries/ cities of Group A are:
The countries/ cities of Group B are:
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8) How many boxers
does a team have and do all boxers come from the host
country?
WSB acknowledges that franchisees may choose to have a majority
of boxers from the country in which the franchisee is based in
order to drive local interest in the matches. However, WSB also
wishes to encourage the participation of boxers from a large number
of countries and so each franchisee is obliged to have a minimum
number of boxers in its squad who are not nationals of the country
in which the franchisee is based.
The minimum number of boxers in one team for the season
2011-2012 is 15 and there is no longer a limit on the maximum
number of boxers.
The minimum number of international boxers per squad is as
follows:
- For a 15-boxer squad: 4
- For a 16 to 18 boxer squad: 5
- For a 19 to 20 boxer squad: 6
- For a squad with more than 20 boxers: at least 7
The maximum number of international boxers from the same country
per franchise remains as 2.
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9) How do the
franchisees select their boxers?
With the exception of the US teams, franchisees have the first
right of refusal to sign up their national boxers. In order to
ensure an evenly-matched competition, each franchise team must
include a minimum number of international boxers.
International boxers are recruited during the WSB Boxers Draft
that will take place on the 6th October, 2011 during the AIBA World
Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. The draft will comprise around
40 of the world's best boxers.
In addition to the draft franchises are also free to select
international boxers from outside the draft.
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10) Are transfers
of boxers between teams allowed?
Teams can transfer boxers with the authorization of the WSB. The
deadline for transfers is the 15th of October, 2011.
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11) Which boxers
are eligible for WSB?
All AIBA amateur boxers who have participated in Elite
international events.
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12) How does the
scoring work?
An electronic scoring system is used with three judges operating
a 10-point "must" system in which the opponents are scored 10-9,
10-8 or 10-7 at the end of each round, based on their overall
performance. The scores are announced at the end of the bout. The
referee plays no part in the judging. The live scoring appears only
on TV during the broadcasting of the match, not in the venue.
With regard to the overall scoring for each match, each team
receives one point for each bout that it wins so the team that wins
three or more of the five bouts in a match will be the winning
team. Teams earn three points for a win; in case of a draw each
team earns two points, a team earns one point in case of a defeat
3-2. There are no points for a 5-0 or 4-1 defeat.
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13) Ten matches in
four months means an average of more than one match per two weeks.
How can boxers be expected to compete at this frequency?
Each franchisee has a minimum of 15 boxers up to unlimited
number, with a minimum of two boxers for each weight category. The
franchisees need a minimum of two squads of five boxers in order to
ensure that all boxers can have the mandatory minimum 13-day rest
period between matches.
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14) How does WSB
ensure the bouts are refereed and judged fairly?
The impartiality of referees and judges is crucial to the
success of WSB. WSB and AIBA recognize that an unbiased and
impartial team of referees and judges is essential for the
credibility, fairness and overall success of WSB.
WSB officiating crews are selected from current AIBA-certified
officials. WSB officials retain their eligibility to officiate in
elite AIBA events outside of the WSB season, i.e. the Olympic Games
and World Championships.
WSB officials are not allowed to officiate in professional
boxing matches outside of the WSB. Officials who are residents in a
country which hosts a WSB Franchise are not eligible to officiate
in matches where that Franchise is competing. (The North American
Continent is an exception to this rule). Officials cannot be
Executive Members or paid employees of National Federations.
For the Play-Off Series and the Individual Championships, WSB
appoints a panel of referees and judges from the officials that
have been used during the league phase of the season. Education and
training of officials are managed by a panel of experts in
coordination with WSB officials. WSB is responsible for the
organization of the officials in relation to each match at which
they are on duty.
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15) How does WSB
counter the problem of doping?
In international sport at all levels it is important that the
performance of the athletes is not enhanced by illegal means and
with that said, WSB developed a comprehensive anti-doping program
to ensure that frequent testing of the WSB boxers takes place to
strictly enforce the drug testing guidelines. WSB manages the
testing process and liaise with franchisees regarding the
establishment of a testing protocol. The WSB's Anti-Doping rules
have been confirmed by WADA to be in full compliance with the WADA
Code.
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16) Where can I
watch it?
Each team has their own broadcaster for home matches. The
broadcasters will be confirmed by the end of October.
WSB will be also launching World Series of Boxing TV on
YouTube. The channel will feature live streaming of each
match during the season available in all countries except for
Germany and Sweden.
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