Puerto Rico is one of the most successful nations in the history of boxing, which is considered to be the country's defining sport.

Boxers have won six of the country's eight Olympic medals and the Caribbean island, which has a population of just over 3.5 million people, boasts the highest index per capita on the planet in terms of world boxing champions.

The new season doubles as a qualifier for the Olympic Games, with 17 quota places on offer to the number one individually ranked boxer in the 49 kilogram, 52kg and over 91kg categories and the top two ranked boxers in the 56kg, 60kg, 64kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg and 91kg divisions.

"It is a great honour for us to compete in the World Series of Boxing," said Miguel Sosa. 

"WSB is one of the most desired competitions in the world, and it will definitely help us improve the level of boxing in Puerto Rico.

"We have two objectives for our debut season.

"First of all, as many boxers as possible need to qualify for the Olympic Games and as a team, we hope to qualify at least for the season's playoffs."

Puerto Rican super heavyweight, Gerardo Bisbal (left), has previously competed in the World Series of Boxing for the Mexico Guerreros franchise ©Getty Images



Cuba Domadores, last season's champions, are now no longer the only Caribbean representative in the WSB, and the Hurricanes are expected to look to their neighbours for inspiration.

"The rich Puerto Rican boxing heritage and the country's passion for our beloved sport will bring additional quality to the tournament through this franchise," said Karim Bouzidi, WSB chief executive.

The Hurricanes' opening match of the season pits them against the Poland Hussars, who will travel to the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan, while their first away match will be against the Argentina Condors.

They will also face season four runners-up, the Azerbaijan Baku Fires, season two champions, Italia Thunder, season three winners, the Kazakhstan Astana Arlans, season four quarter-finalists, the USA Knockouts, as well as another new franchise, Venezuela Caciques in Group B.

The Hurricanes are represented by a myriad of promising boxers, including Joshua Kiko Ortiz, London 2012 Olympian Jeyvier J. Cintrón, and the lightweight Danielito Zorrilla, 17th in the International Boxing Association (AIBA) men's world rankings.

"The arrival of Puerto Rico Hurricanes in WSB is a proof that our league is going from strength to strength gathering the best boxing nations of the world and therefore we are truly proud of this important addition," added C K Wu, President of the AIBA.

The Boricua nation has already had successful boxers in the WSB.

The super heavyweight Gerardo Bisbal competed with the franchise Mexico Guerreros in seasons three and four, while young hopeful Jantony Ortiz Marcano was also part of the Mexican team last season.

Another experienced boxer is the light flyweight Anthony Chacón, who earned a 2-1 record with the USA Knockouts in season four.

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