Coronavirus Delivers More Bad News for Boxing
The sport of Boxing continues to be hit hard by COVID-19, and it’s getting hard to recover. There have been several events that have either been postponed or cancelled due to the uncertainty of the current epidemic.
Furthermore, it looks like even more fights are about to be affected. The California State Athlete Commission (CSAC) has suspended all combat sports for March. It now seems that the Nevada State Athlete Commission (NSAC) has done the same and more fights could be affected depending on what decision they make following their meeting on March 25.
POTENTIAL CANCELLATIONS ON THE WAY
Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and more Top Rank fights could be jeopardy if the ban extends past April. Former WBC Bantamweight champion Luis Nery (30-0, 24ko), who signed with powerhouse advisor Al Haymon back in 2019, was set to return to the ring on March 28.
Then there is the fight a lot of boxing fans and enthusiasts were looking forward to seeing: unified champion Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16ko) looking to add more hardware to his collection facing WBO champion John Riel Casimero (29-4, 20ko). This fight will bring the Japanese mega-star one fight away from undisputed, if victorious.
Furthermore, this would also mean that even four-divisional champion Canelo Alvarez’s (53-1-2, 36ko) traditional Cinco De Mayo bout with WBO Super Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders (29-0, 14ko) more than likely will wait for a decision from NSAC before officially scheduling the bout.
Boxing is taking a bad beating and it looks like a lot of fights could be cancelled for the first half of the year. Still, fans shouldn’t throw in the towel just yet. The sport may be hurt, but it’s not out.
By: Garrisson Bland
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