Poland’s Krzysztof ‘Glowka’ Glowacki (31-1, 19 KOs) is in war mode ahead of the WBSS Cruiserweight Semi-Final against Latvia’s Mairis Briedis (25-1, 18 KOs) June 15 at the Arena Riga in Latvia.
Glowacki won the WBO World Championship via a sensational 11th-round stoppage over Marco Huck in August 2015, the Polish warrior rose from a knockdown in the sixth round and fought back in an epic slug-fest to take the throne.
Aleksandr Usyk overthrew it in 2016, and since then the southpaw has had a strong belief in coming back and overtake the division. In the quarter-final of the WBSS he picked up the decision against Russia’s Maksim Vlasov, and a tough task is ahead of him when facing tournament No. 1 seed Mairis Briedis for a place in the final for the Ali Trophy and world domination.
How has the training ahead of the semi-final been going?
“Everything is going great and according to our plan. We had a camp in Spain, then we moved to the UK for sparing sessions and now we’re finishing our preparations in Warsaw.”
What do you think of your opponent Briedis?
“Briedis is a great, strong and skilled boxer, but he didn’t impress me too much in his last two fights. He was much better against Usyk or Huck. I first met Mairis in 2010 – he trained in our gym in Warsaw and he even had a fight on our event. He’s a nice guy and a world-class fighter.”
Do you have a message for him?
“Mairis, prepare for war, Glowka is coming. I’m going to win the Ali Trophy!”
What can the fans in Riga expect to see from you?
“Everybody who watched my fights knows I always fight hard from the first to the final bell. Even if I’m down on the scorecards like against Huck I still believe in myself and never give up. ‘It’s worth believing’ – this is my motto!”
Do you expect to see a lot of Polish fans in Riga?
“I know that a lot of my fans are going to Riga. Of course, Mairis will have much more fans in the arena, but I’m sure you will hear ‘Polska, Polska’ during our fight.”
What is your dream scenario for the fight?
“I can’t tell you everything right now, but I can reveal the name of the winner – it’s Krzysztof Głowacki. I have a great trainer, Fiodor Lapin, we’re working on plan A, B, C and so on … So I’ll be ready for every possible scenario, also the dream one.”
Have you been seeing or following the other divisions in the WBSS?
“Not too much. I have a huge challenge before me, so I’m focused on it. Mairis Briedis is the guy, I watch and follow right now.”
Who do you think you will face in the final?
“Yunier Dorticos beat my compatriot Mateusz Masternak in the quarter-final, so it would be nice if I could avenge the loss, but frankly speaking, I don’t really care, I can fight Dorticos, I can fight Tabiti. Let the best man win in their semi-final, because like i said, right now full focus on Mairis Briedis and it is going to be a war!”
The WBSS returns on June 15 with a sensational doubleheader at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia: Mairis Briedis vs Krzysztof Glowacki and Yunier Dorticos vs Andrew Tabiti for spots in the Cruiserweight Final for the Ali Trophy.
Tickets for the hotly-anticipated semi-final in Riga are on sale from: bilesuserviss.lv
All the action will be live on DAZN in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the U.K.
WBSS Season 2 Semi-Finals:
27 April – Cajundome, Lafayette, LA, USA
- Regis Prograis vs Kiryl Relikh – Prograis W TKO6
- Nonito Donaire vs Stephon Young – Donaire W KO6
- Josh Taylor vs Ivan Baranchyk – Taylor W UD12
- Naoya Inoue vs Emmanuel Rodriguez – Inoue W TKO2
15 June – Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
- Mairis Briedis vs Krzysztof Glowacki
- Yunier Dorticos vs Andrew Tabiti
