Who’s Next?!: How Team Boxing Works

Four fights, two teams, one place in the semifinals: Ringside Zone launched Who’s Next?! in Mannheim on October 10, 2026. The new boxing format turns individual bouts into a team contest, adds a live on-screen score and briefly changes fight conditions through special cards. Team Dynamit beat Team Iron on opening night.

How does the team contest work?

Each team sends four boxers into four weight classes. The opening match featured super welterweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight. Bouts are contested one at a time, and each win earns the team one point. The team with the better overall result advances. Mannheim hosted the first quarterfinal; a Ringside Zone representative has outlined plans for an eight-team season.

There are two different scores to keep in mind. Live scoring shows the state of an individual bout on screens as it happens. Only a win in that bout produces a point in the team standings. The on-screen fight data are meant to make the action easier to follow; they are not extra team points.

What do the special cards change?

Special cards alter short phases of a bout. Four options were described for the opener: Fire Zone keeps both boxers inside a marked area for 20 seconds. Defense Mode restricts one boxer to defending for ten seconds. One-Hand Mode limits one boxer to punches with the lead hand for 20 seconds. Under Double Points, one boxer’s legal punches are scored double for 20 seconds. These interventions change a phase of an existing fight; they do not add bouts to the team contest.

The audience has a say as well. Fans can vote on potential matchups and cards, while Ringside Zone assembles the final pairings. Winners are still decided by what happens in the ring, not by a popularity vote.

What happened on opening night?

Team Dynamit won the first team contest against Team Iron and advances to the semifinals under the announced tournament format. The night opened with a quick knockout loss for late replacement Baris Mustafa. Domenik Arnold earned a win for Iron against Sebastian Busch, while Ben Ehis beat Jonas Klein for Dynamit. The debut was carried free of charge by Sky Sport and on the Sky Sport and RTL Sport YouTube channels.

Why does the format matter?

Who’s Next?! does not reinvent boxing itself, but changes how a fight night is framed: four bouts tell one team story, the score is meant to stay visible, and special cards force short tactical adjustments. Whether it becomes more than an eye-catching debut depends largely on how clearly the scoring and rule changes can be understood by boxers and viewers over a full season.