By Karl Freitag
While much of boxing is shutting down during the coronavirus hysteria, UFC is adapting to the situation and moving ahead with its events. Today’s UFC event in Brazil will proceed without spectators. A March 21 UFC card in London will proceed as scheduled (the UK hasn’t shut down boxing or MMA).
A March 28 UFC event in Columbus, Ohio, and an April 11 UFC event in Portland, Oregon, will be relocated to the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on the same dates. Both events will proceed with only essential personnel in attendance and without spectators.
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Bob Bennett is working directly with UFC on implementing a process to screen the competing athletes for the coronavirus to ensure their health and safety.
Top Rank, also based in Las Vegas, is considering moving the March 28 fight between Artur Beterbiev vs Meng Fanlong out of Canada and into a studio, along with the April 25 fight between Naoya Inoue and John Riel Casimero.
“Getting a studio setting just to show the fights on television, that’s not ideal, but we’re preparing to do it,” Arum told the NY Post.
Promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t excited about the studio option, telling Sky Sports “We’re a sport that’s built on passion and energy and the moment. To do that in an empty arena is going to be very, very difficult.” Hearn does acknowledge that it’s an option to stage certain fights behind closed doors.
TGB Promotions’ Tom Brown is also working to save upcoming Premier Boxing Promotions shows.
Both Arum and Brown stress that the availability of coronavirus test kits is vital. “We want everyone that’s going to be in that room to be tested,” Brown told the NY Post. “Whether it’s the TV crew, the ambulance drivers, the commission, the referee or the timekeeper. We want everyone tested because if someone does come out of that arena with the virus everyone has to be quarantined.”
Even before tests are widely available, boxing is attempting to go on where it can.
While a number of fight cards in Germany have been cancelled, promoter Ulf Steinforth is working with authorities to reduce the seating capacity at the 7,000-seat GETEC Arena to below 1,000 to move ahead with a March 28 WBA light heavyweight title card in Magdeburg.
Salita Promotions went ahead with a ShoBox card on Friday night in Hinckley, Minnesota, with no spectators in the venue.
Top Rank was prepared to stage two events in four days inside Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater with no spectators before being shut down by the New York State Athletic Commission.
In the short term, unless boxing embraces the UFC approach it seems the bulk of the boxing action will proceed from the UK, Mexico and other countries that are going on about their business despite coronavirus fears.