Bob Arum Says Boxing Will Return To Las Vegas In June
It’s been rough on fans of the sweet science. Enthusiasts are used to watching live-action in the ring every week, cheering, venting, and tweeting about the exercise in educated, organized violence. Much of that practice was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sport, understandably, took the actions that it did to protect the safety of the fighters and fans. Yet, it looks like boxing may return and return soon, according to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum.
Arum had previously talked of a blueprint for boxing to resume in April. However, during a sit-down interview with ESPN, he gave a more definitive time-table and course of action.
“We are coming back in June. These will be shows that will be on ESPN and ESPN+. They will take place during the week and on weekends.”
The Top Rank boss says his immediate shows will be staged in Las Vegas and that he’s working closely with state and local authorities and businesses.
“We have hotels that we [can] be opening up, and there won’t be, initially, a big market of customers for rooms.
They will have plenty of rooms available. These hotels have big ballrooms, which we could use to stage an event. And these ballrooms, we could take for a two-month period, June and July, to put on events, maybe with an option to take them in August or September.”
PROCEEDING WITH CAUTION
With COVID-19 still an ongoing issue, Arum is being very careful in terms of how his future shows will be executed. This means that for the time being, there will be no live audiences, as the state of Nevada has restrictions in place banning large gatherings. Each fighter’s camp must also practice social distancing.
Arum’s upcoming events will feature some of his top fighters such as WBC/WBO world Junior Welterweight champion Jose Ramirez, WBO world Featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson and IBF world Lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez.
To some, planning to stage boxing events in any capacity right now is a controversial move because of the unknown aspect of this current pandemic, with no visible end in sight.
However, there is a proven track record of when it comes to Arum and Top Rank. They are taking all measures to ensure that from their perspective, everything will be as safe as possible.
And for many fans, while understanding the current situation, they will welcome watching live fights return, no matter what condition.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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