You'll never guess the problem with boxing tournaments

George Groves defeated Chris Eubank Jr in the semi-finals of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) super middleweight tournament on Sunday but could still miss out on his chance to fight for the Muhammad Ali trophy.

When the final bell sounded after the 12-round fight in Manchester, everyone looked worse for wear.

Groves, who defended the WBA super middleweight title, walked out of the ring nursing his right shoulder. Eubank Jr, on the other hand, was rushed to a hospital to treat a two-inch gash on his forehead that had been gushing for nine-straight rounds.

Even the referee, who entered the bout with a light blue button-up shirt, exited looking like an abattoir worker with Eubank’s blood splattered all over his chest.

The super middleweight tournament took another hit last night, when Jurgen Brahmer withdrew from the final four bout against Callum Smith.

In his place, tournament alternate Nieky Holzken, a relative unknown to boxing fans, will be bumped up to the main event fight, scheduled for early Sunday morning (AEDT).

This was always a concern for WBSS decision makers, who gave themselves little wriggle room while promoting a pair of eight-man tournaments.

The series began in September and October last year and is scheduled to conclude in June.

The WBSS cruiserweight tournament has – thus far, at least – managed to dodge every bullet like it were in The Matrix. Through six bouts, not one injury has disrupted the brackets. And both finalists – Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev – have managed to raise their stock tenfold.

History suggests that the WBSS team caught a lucky break, though.

The last major boxing tournament attempt before this, the Super Six World Boxing Classic, was also torn apart by injuries.

The convoluted round-robin-style series, which was eventually won by Andre Ward, lost Jermain Taylor, Mikkel Kessler, and Allan Green along the way.

If the WBSS supper middleweight field were to lose both Brahmer and Groves it would taint an otherwise great series.

Groves, who was last spotted outside the Lowry Hotel in Manchester the day after the fight with a battered-and-bruised face and his arm in a sling, says he sustained “the most painful injury of his career.”

Although ‘Saint George’ has since stated that he is hopeful he will be fit to fight for the Muhammad Ali trophy and an unspecified share of the $25 million in prize money on June 2 at London’s O2 Arena, it is by no means a certainty.

Making things even messier, Eubank Jr, who soundly lost in the semis, is one of the leading candidates to fill Groves’ slot in the finals if the 29-year-old titlist is unable to compete by June.

“He will definitely be on the list,” WBSS co-founder Kalle Sauerland said at the post-fight press conference.

“It’s a decision that’s taken by the (WBSS) board. I will make my recommendations.”

The first season of WBSS has, thus far, been a smashing success. The talent-rich cruiserweight tournament, in particular, has been phenomenal.

The only major champion missing from the eight-man field was WBA titleholder Denis Lebedev, who already suffered a loss to eventual finalist Gassiev in 2016 without his belt on the line.

If that weren’t enough, the fights were brilliant, with both semi-final bouts leading the ‘fight of the year’ debate.

For all the praise I can heap on the series, season two requires a more flexible schedule.

The aforementioned Super Six World Boxing Classic was held over three years and it still crumbled due to injuries. Under the current model, WBSS requires the eventual champion to compete in three 12-round bouts over nine months, leaving practically zero room for error.