Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez

Boxing match

Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez
Date30 September 2017
VenueArena Riga, Riga, Latvia
Title(s) on the lineWBC cruiserweight title
Tale of the tape
Boxer Mairis Briedis Mike Perez
Nickname The Latvian Punisher The Rebel
Hometown Riga, Latvia Sancti Spíritus, Cuba
Pre-fight record 22–0 (18 KO) 22–2–1 (14 KO)
Age 32 years, 8 months 31 years, 11 months
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 198+1⁄2 lb (90 kg) 197+1⁄3 lb (90 kg)
Style Orthodox Southpaw
Recognition WBC
Cruiserweight Champion
The Ring
No. 4 Ranked Cruiserweight
TBRB
No. 6 Ranked Cruiserweight		 WBC
No. 12 Ranked Cruiserweight
Result
Briedis defeats Perez via UD (116–110, 114–112, 115–111)

Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez was a professional boxing match contested on 30 September 2017, for the WBC cruiserweight championship.[1]

Background

At the WBSS Draft Gala, which took place on 8 July in Monte Carlo, WBC champion Mairis Briedis chose former heavyweight contender Mike Perez (22–2–1, 14 KOs) as his quarter-final opponent. Perez had been out of action for 25 months before moving down from the heavyweight division following a TKO loss to Alexander Povetkin and won his first fight at that weight with a first-round knockout on 10 June 2017.[2] On 22 July, the WBSS announced the fight would take place in Briedis' home country of Latvia at the Rīga Arēna in Riga on 30 September 2017 and would be the third quarter final, coming a week after Yunier Dorticos knocked out Dmitry Kudryashov.[3][4]At the official weigh-in, Briedis tipped the scales at 198 1⁄2 lbs, while Mike Perez came in lighter, at 197 1⁄3 lbs.[5] This was Briedis' first defence of the belt he won against Marco Huck in April.

The fight

Briedis won a scrappy fight, beating Perez by unanimous decision after 12 rounds (116–110, 114–112, 115–111).[6] Perez was deducted a point in round 3 following an accidental headbutt. Briedis was also docked a point during round 10 for excessive holding.[7]

Aftermath

With the win, Briedis moved on to the semifinals to face top-seeded Oleksandr Usyk.[8]

Undercard

Confirmed bouts:[9]

Broadcasting

Country Broadcaster
Baltic & Nordic countries Viasat[10]
 Belgium VOO[11]
 Bulgaria Nova
 Canada Super Channel
 Germany SAT.1
 Russia Match! Boets[12]
 Singapore StarHub
Sub-Saharan Africa TVMS
 Turkey Tivibu Sports[13]
 United Kingdom ITV
 United States Audience[14]
 Ukraine Inter

References

  1. ^ "Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Usyk-Huck, Groves-Cox headline Super Series". ESPN.com. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  3. ^ "Mairis Briedis-Mike Perez set for September 30 - The Ring". The Ring. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez on September 30 in Latvia - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  5. ^ "Photos: Mairis Briedis, Mike Perez Ready For WBSS Battle - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com.
  6. ^ "Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez (Official Scorecards)". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  7. ^ Nick Parkinson (1 October 2017). "Mairis Briedis outpoints Mike Perez, earns place in WBSS semifinals". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Mairis Briedis Decisions Mike Perez, Set To Fight Usyk Next - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com.
  9. ^ "BoxRec - event".
  10. ^ "MTG will be the exclusive home of the World Boxing Super Series in the Nordic and Baltic regions". europawire.eu. EuropaWire. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  11. ^ "TV PARTNERS". worldboxingsuperseries.com. World Boxing Super Series. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  12. ^ Andrew Karlov (14 October 2017). "Groves vs Cox. Where to watch live". ringside24.com. Ringside24.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  13. ^ WBN Staff (9 September 2017). "WBSS agree further European media rights deals". worldboxingnews.net. World Boxing News. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  14. ^ Dan Rafael (28 September 2017). "World Boxing Super Series finds U.S. distribution for quarterfinals". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
Preceded by Mairis Briedis's bouts
30 September 2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
vs. Viktor Biscak
 Mike Perez's bouts
30 September 2017 		Succeeded by
vs. Pablo Matias Magrini