The sport of boxing has come to a standstill with coronavirus KOing events across the globe this past week.
Latest news of mass gatherings being banned in both the UK & USA has thrown all upcoming events into jeopardy, but there is a potential solution being investigated by promoters.
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The boxing world is on hold
In some sports such as football, matches have already taken place behind closed doors and it is this idea that boxing chiefs are now weighing up.
America’s 88-year-old Top Rank boss Bob Arum initially moved his two events last week behind closed doors before ultimately being forced to scrap them completely.
The reason he did this was because they had no access to coronavirus testing on such short notice and would not go ahead without knowing for sure that their fighters were not carrying the disease.
Arum has said he’s now looking to resurrect this plan for his furure events with fights potentially taking place in a TV studio setting with testing secured in advance.
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The coronavirus outbreak began late last year
Speaking on Friday before news of a mass gatherings ban broke, Britain’s Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the prospect of fights behind closed doors would be considered in the UK, too.
However, he also explained why this would not apply to his biggest upcoming bouts, such as Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin (May 2), Oleksandr Usyk vs Derek Chisora (May 23) and Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev (June 20).
Hearn said: “I don’t like it because boxing is a sport that is built on that energy, those great moments where the crowd goes crazy and everyone’s in the stands singing ‘Sweet Caroline’.
Ed Mulholland/Matchroom
Eddie Hearn promotes Anthony Joshua, who is due to defend his titles on 20 June
“Also, the bigger shows are gate dependant in terms of the money for the shows. To pay the fighters, to make sure that everything can get taken care of, for the undercard.
“So when you start talking about AJ, when you start talking about Oleksandr Usyk, when you start talking about Dillian Whyte, the crowd is very [important] to the success of that event.
“When you start talking about the smaller stuff, it might be our Doncaster card with Terri Harper vs Natasha Jonas – that’s in Doncaster Dome which holds 1,400 people.
Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev was expected to sell out 70,000 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
“If we have to stage events behind closed doors to make sure that we can provide content for our TV partners and, more importantly, provide fights and opportunities for our fighters, then it’s something we’ll definitely look at.
“But for the bigger events, not just financially, it don’t sit right with me.
“We’re a TV product, we’re a product for fans in the arena and behind closed doors, for me, doesn’t really work unless it was a fight where there might only be 2,000, 3,000, 4,000.
“But it’s something we have to look at to ensure that our fighters stay active and, most importantly, get paid.”
Dave Thompson/Matchroom
Terri Harper’s fight next month may still take place
Fights behind closed doors may well be the solution for boxing to continue despite the coronavirus pandemic. However, there is one final issue not discussed here by Hearn.
Each boxing event needs a certain number of medical staff and ambulances (numbers depend on the local commission) to be present in order to be sanctioned.
As the British Boxing Board of Control’s rules state: “The promoter shall ensure that a minimum of two doctors, one of whom must be practised in the management of an unconscious or partially conscious patient, who have been approved by the Area Medical Officer, attend at all promotions.
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Tyson Fury famously had his cut eye checked multiple times by the ringside doctor during his win over Otto Wallin
“A doctor practised in the management of an unconscious or partially conscious patient must be seated at the ringside at all times during a contest.”
Given current forecasts suggesting that this pandemic will get significantly worse in the UK & US before getting better, it may well be the case that no doctors are able to be spared in the weeks and months to come.
This is mere speculation at present, but if it proves true, then that could be the final KO blow for boxing in the immediate future.
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