Bantamweight stars Burnett, Rodriguez and Tete sign-up for Season II of the Ali Trophy

Bantamweight stars Burnett, Rodriguez and Tete sign-up for Season II of the Ali Trophy
Zolani Tete WBO Bantamweight Champion Manny Rodriguez IBF division champion

Three Bantamweight World Champions, Ryan Burnett (WBA), Manny Rodriguez (IBF) and Zolani Tete (WBO), are the first confirmed fighters for the second season of the World Boxing Super Series.

“After a fantastic first season with Super Middleweight and Cruiserweight, we have decided that bigger is better. So we are going out with three divisions in our second season,” said Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer, Kalle Sauerland.

“We are delighted to have three champions agreed to go into the Bantamweight tournament.”

“Burnett, Rodriguez and Tete represent three continents, they represent what the World Boxing Super Series is all about and we cannot wait to see these amazing athletes compete for the Muhammad Ali Trophy.“

A sensational line-up is in the making for Season 2 of the World Boxing Super Series with three world champions entering the Bantamweight edition of the quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy, The Greatest Prize in Boxing.

The ingredients for epic battles are in the mix: ’O’s will go, titles will be unified and titles lost as Ryan Burnett, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Zolani Tete join the revolutionary bracket-style elimination tournament.

For 25-year-old Ryan Burnett (19-0, 9 KOs) from Belfast, Northern Ireland, the holder of the WBA Super World Bantamweight Title, the tournament fits his dreams perfectly.

“I have always wanted to be a world champion and to unify the titles against the best opposition out there. Now the World Boxing Super Series allows me to continue my dream against the other champions in the bantamweight division.”

Said 25-year-old IBF World Bantamweight Champion Emmanuel Rodriguez (18-0-12 KOs) from Manati, Puerto Rico:

“I am very happy to be in the tournament. It is great to be able to fight against two other world champions and get the chance to unify the belts. I will do my best to win the tournament.”

Said 30-year-old WBO World Bantamweight Champion Zolani Tete (27-3, 21 KOs) from Eastern Cape, South Africa:

“I would like to thank the World Boxing Super Series for the opportunity, I am very humbled and honoured to enter the tournament. This is the opportunity I have been looking for; to show that I am the best in my division.”

Five fighters remain to be revealed to complete the Bantamweight cast. Further details on Season 2, featuring three weight classes, and the finals of Season 1, will be announced over the next weeks.

Written by
Daxx Khan has been a regular member of the Talkin Boxing with Billy C TV & Radio Show since 2011, throughout his over two decades involved with the sport of boxing he has owned his own gym, currently is a Coach with "Newburgh Hook Elite Boxing", has covered over 175 world title fights across the globe, worked for two sanctioning body organizations, written for multiple major sporting news outlets. The first world title fight he covered was in 1991 while still attending NYU when he accompanied boxing media Icon Bert Sugar to the "Terrible" Terry Norris versus "Sugar" Ray Leonard WBC Super Welterweight title fight which Norris won by wide unanimous decision. Daxx is also former USA Boxing Coach and representative for "The World Boxing Federation".

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.