The WBC Grand Prix Quarter Finals produced drama, upsets, and highlight-reel knockouts as 32 fighters from 15 nations battled through nearly nine hours of commercial-free boxing live on DAZN from the Cool Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
With four weight classes in action and just 16 semifinal places up for grabs, the global tournament’s third phase delivered exactly what WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman promised — talent from every corner of the boxing map.
“We saw a compilation of great talent from all over the world,” said Sulaiman. “The boxers that fought tonight will be local heroes when they come back home. This just keeps getting better. I can’t wait for the Semifinals in October, and then the Grand Finale in December.”
Fight of the Night
Middleweight contender Carlos Sinisterra (13-1, 10 KOs) turned the tables in brutal fashion against previously unbeaten Ephrem Bariko (12-1, 6 KOs).
Bariko bossed the opening two rounds, landing crisp, accurate combinations, and looked set to cruise into the semi finals. But a sudden third-round ambush from the Colombian saw Bariko trapped in the corner and battered to the canvas.
Sinisterra’s dramatic KO earns him an October semi final date with Canada’s Derek Pomerleau (14-0, 11 KOs), who earlier dispatched Ukraine’s Dmytro Rybalko with a ruthless four-punch sequence for a second-round TKO.
Upset of the Night
Italy’s Muhamet Qamili (17-0, 7 KOs) preserved his unbeaten record in controversial fashion over USA prospect Troy Nash (5-1, 1 KO) in the featherweight bracket.
The three official scorecards read 58-56 Nash, 58-56 Qamili, and 57-57 — a split draw under normal rules. But under the WBC’s enhanced scoring system, which judges each round’s decisiveness as a tiebreaker, Qamili was awarded the nod by tallies of 5-4 and 4-2 on two cards.
The decision stunned many in attendance, with Nash earning praise despite the loss.
“Troy Nash is a future superstar,” said Sulaiman. “It was only his fifth fight, and his opponent was very tough in a close fight. He will learn and come out better from it.”
Breakout Performance
Argentine cruiserweight Kevin Ramírez (11-0-1, 4 KOs) stole the heavyweight spotlight with a gutsy unanimous decision over Poland’s Piotr Lacz (14-1, 10 KOs).
Ramírez, who works as a trash collector in Buenos Aires, gave away 18 pounds on fight night but outworked the bigger man with sharper combinations and superior accuracy in the decisive rounds.
His reward? A semifinal showdown with USA’s Dante Stone, a 257.9-pound powerhouse who advanced via UD over Morocco’s Youness Baalla.
National results and October outlook
USA finished the quarterfinals 1-3, Stone being the only American victor.
Mexico went 1-2, with featherweight Brandon Mejia outpointing Ayubkhon Bakhtiyorov, while Emiliano Aguillón fell to France’s Lancelot Proton de la Chappelle.
The WBC Grand Prix Semi Finals will feature 16 fighters — four per weight class — in October on a date still to be announced. The winners will progress to December’s Grand Finale for the tournament crown.
Full details and the WBC’s official enhanced scoring tutorial are available via the sanctioning body’s website.
About the Author
Phil Jay is a veteran boxing journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the global fight scene. As Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News since 2010, Jay has interviewed dozens of world champions and reported ringside on boxing’s biggest nights. [View all articles by Phil Jay] and learn more about his work in combat sports journalism.