As British champion, Matty Askin has been keeping an eye on the tournament and has a clear prediction for how the rest of the competition plays out.
Featuring fighters from all over the world and four belts on the line, the calibre of the cruiserweight WBSS is rare to behold.
The remaining four – Usyk, Breidis, Gassiev and Dorticos hold an incredible combined record of 83-0 (68 KOs) and have the opportunity to take home the Ali Trophy as well as becoming the undisputed champion of the world.
The semi-finals of the WBSS start this weekend with Usyk vs. Breidis and Askin has been watching excitedly.
Speaking in a recent interview with WBN, Askin gave his opinion on the tournament as a whole.
“I think for the cruiserweight division, its done a world of good, all the top fighters from every country and there are world champions,” Askin exclusively told World Boxing News.
“I think it’s put the cruiserweights back up there as one of the divisions to watch.”
Watching the tournament unfold, Askin made his prediction for the final and eventual winner:
“I think it’s brilliant, the fights have been good in it, Usyk is going to win it for me personally, I think it will be a Usyk vs. Gassiev final,” he said.
“Usyk has too much amateur background and his style, good footwork and his movement, I see him winning the final fight.”
Askin sees himself participating were there to be another tournament in the future, Askin added: “Yeah definitely, I’ll fight anyone but I think it might have been a step too soon (this time around).
“I’ve just got to where I want to be now. I want a few more title fights and 12 rounders under my belt and showcase what I can do and earn that spot. Not to just be put in there to fill a space.
“I wanna be in there and make sure I’m going in there and I’ve got a real chance of winning it, but its something I would really look forward to.
“I think the winner ends up winning something like £7.5 million so ha, why wouldn’t I want to be in it, do you know what I mean?”
Chandler Waller is a staff writer for World Boxing News. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerWaller
