Briedis-Dorticos facing further delay

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The two have not fought since June

It looks as though fans will have to wait even longer for the WBSS cruiserweight final between Mairis Briedis and Yuniel Dorticos. The fight was initially booked for March 21st in Briedis’ hometown of Riga, Latvia, only to be delayed to May 16th after Latvia banned large public gatherings in response to the coronavirus. Now, ESPN reports that it’s likely to be pushed even further back.

“In line with new Latvian government guidelines relating to COVID-19, Comosa AG, (the) World Boxing Super Series organizer, are discussing the consequences for the WBSS cruiserweight final scheduled to take place in Riga. We will return with a further statement after Easter,” WBSS promoter Kalle Sauerland told ESPN on Thursday.

Briedis (26-1, 19 KO) and Dorticos (24-1, 22 KO) won their semifinal matchups in June, Briedis stopping Krzysztof Glowacki in a foul-filled donnybrook and Dorticos laying out Andrew Tabiti in a Knockout of the Year contender. They’d previously taken decisions over Noel Gevor and Mateusz Masternak, respectively.

Delaying this is almost certainly the right course of action, unpleasant as it is to see the absolutely stacked cruiserweight division remain bogged down. So it goes.