Lou Dibella: “Fights without fans will be more expensive”
In an exclusive interview with 3kingsboxing.com, promoter and DiBella Entertainment founder Lou Dibella kept it un-apologetically real when asked whether or not big fights will happen once boxing resumes from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many fight fans are clamoring for the big match-ups to happen in 2020. Fights like Errol Spence v Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua V Tyson Fury, and Vasyl Lomachenko v Teofimo Lopez are just a few.
PUMP YOUR BRAKES!
“That’s the eight million dollar question, and you know what? I’ve heard this question asked a lot and I know the fans are hopeful for a positive answer. Yeah we’re going to come back and make the fights and nobody is going to want to bullshit around and the best are going to fight the best when we come back and I don’t want to burst anybody’s balloon, but that ain’t fucking happening!”
That’s not the way it’s going to work because we’re getting back to a very different world. It’s going to be more expensive to put on a show with no one there, than it is when you’re making money selling tickets.”
THE COLD HARD TRUTH!
As much as fans all over don’t want to hear that nor believe it, that’s the cold hard truth! Fans spending money are what moves all sports and boxing is no different. The fighters will still want their regular paydays and to put together the type of fights fans want to see is going to require money and a lot of it.
Also to take into consideration is how do the fighters feel about potentially fighting in an empty arena? IBF lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has already made it known that he’s strongly against that idea. Alternatively, IBF junior lightweight champion JoJo Diaz wouldn’t mind as long as it means he gets to fight.
This uncertainty, understandably so, has not only the fans on edge but the fighters, promoters and networks all feeling the same.
One thing all parties involved can agree on, whether you’re a fan of the sport or a participant in whatever fashion, is let’s just get the fights going again!
As we continue to count down the days until the return of the sweet science, there’s plenty of things to consider.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
