Boxing in a rush to fight COVID-19
Boxing has gone to the barber to trim down for a return to live competition within the year.
There are fights that have started to be calendared through the surge of the coronavirus pandemic.
A live card has been staged in Managua, Nicaragua, recently, with fans shown on television observing social distancing.
There’s also a heavyweight card trumpeted to be staged in Poland next month.
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It’s clearly a blind rush to score against the virus pandemic and push prizefighting back on its feet.
The World Boxing Council has announced it’s ready to use remote judging, with online officials scoring the bouts from home in order to proceed with live fights soon.
The move to use remote judging has been criticized, voted down by several experts.
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There’s a strong thrust in Europe, mainly in Great Britain, to promote live boxing bouts.
In the United States, lead promoting agency Top Rank Inc. appeared bent in pursuing a live card in late July, at the earliest.
Nothing official from Top Rank big boss Bob Arum, who has reportedly been working for approval of health protocols with the Nevada and California commissions.
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However, MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons has declared a target fight date for the postponed triple world bantamweight unification bout between Japan’s Naoya Inoue and Johnriel Casimero of the Philippines.
It’s the third Saturday of July for the heralded showdown, Gibbons declared.
“Casimero wanted nobody else but Inoue, “ Gibbons said.
He said he has been assured by Akihiko Honda, Inoue’s chief handler, that the unbeaten Japanese superstar will be coming to Las Vegas.
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A proposal to stage the bout in Tokyo fell through, and there’s an anxious wait on when restrictions would be eased in the Nevada area.
Boxing indeed has started ready and eager to score against the pandemic, no matter what it takes.
There’s a clear view of boxing, after everything has been said and done, getting back from the floor to square off against a mighty and mysterious enemy.
There’s growing fear of another mismatch. INQ
