Naoya Inoue ready to compete for the Muhammad Ali Trophy; Season II Draft to take place in Moscow on 20 July

Three-weight World Champion, Naoya Inoue, is ready to compete for the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the bantamweight edition.

“It is an honour to be able to participate and compete in such a great tournament,” said the WBA World Regular 118lb Champion.

25-year-old Inoue (16-0, 14 KOs) from Zama, Japan is a three-weight world champion, having held the WBA Regular bantamweight title since May 2018, the WBO junior-bantamweight title from 2014 to March 2018, and the WBC light-flyweight title in 2014

And Inoue – aka ‘The Monster’ – is oozing confidence ahead of the quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy.

“Of course I will win and as the winner of the tournament, I will continue onto the next journey of my boxing career!”

“We are thrilled to have Inoue on board Season II’s amazing bantamweight tournament,” said Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer, Kalle Sauerland. “His stage name ‘The Monster’ has proved fitting; Inoue is an extremely exciting fighter and possesses absolutely extraordinary power.”

“Inoue has become one of the biggest idols in his native Japan and now gets the chance to showcase his skills in the Ali Trophy tournament, the greatest stage of all.”

Three weight classes will feature in Season II of the World Boxing Super Series with two categories, Bantamweight and Super-Lightweight, already announced

Season II Draft to take place in Moscow on 20 July

On Friday 20 July, all participants of the Bantamweight and Super-Lightweight editions of Season 2 of the World Boxing Super Series will come face-to-face at The Draft Gala at the Rossiya Theatre in Moscow, Russia.

It will be the occasion where the star-studded line-up of 16 fighters representing two of the three weight classes will find out their rivals for the quarter-finals.

During the live show at Moscow’s largest theater, four seeded boxers in each division will pick their opponents from the four unseeded boxers. Certain seeds will have mandatories which have been pre-determined as quarter-finals.

“I can´t wait for the bantamweight and super-lightweight tournament brackets to be unveiled during the Draft in Moscow on July 20,” said Kalle Sauerland, Comosa´s Chief Boxing Officer. “This is where the storylines for Season II begin!”

“Having 16 warriors on the stage at the same time creates a very special atmosphere, a certain tension. You have the feeling that one word or wrong move can heat up the stage.”

Further details on The Draft will be announced in the coming days along with the last announcements of the Bantamweight- and Super-Lightweight division of Season II of the World Boxing Super Series.

The third and yet to be announced weight class of Season II will have its own separate draft at a later date.

The Draft will take place Friday 20 July at the Rossiya Theatre at Pushkinskaya Square at 9pm local time (8pm CST/1pm CT).