Coronavirus – Page 13 – Syndication Server

Josh Taylor on boxing’s new waiting game: ‘It’s really frustrating’

A frustrated Josh Taylor, whose career was soaring, must now wait with his boxing brethren for the opportunity to get back into the ring.

The titles are new. The contract is new. The trainer is new. It’s a brand new life for Josh Taylor, but it’ll have to wait a while. Coronavirus has put the world on hold, including the one that Taylor hopes to unify.

Taylor’s first title defense has fallen into a familiar category. His junior welterweight bout against challenger Apinun Khonsong, scheduled for May 2 in Glasgow, Scotland, has been postponed. But don’t make any plans. There’s no new date and there’s no idea when there might be one. Taylor must feel like he has a winning ticket, yet the lottery offices are closed and nobody knows when they’ll re-open.

“That’s the way it goes,’’ Taylor told his hometown newspaper, the Evening News in Edinburgh. “It’s completely out of my control, so it’s something you’ve just got to accept. Everything happens for a reason. So it might work out for the better when I fight him at a later date.’’

Taylor has been training in Las Vegas for his first fight since he added a second 140-pound belt with a decision over Regis Prograis on Oct. 26 in London. He signed with Top Rank after the dramatic victory. He left promoter Barry McGuigan and trainer Shane McGuigan in a controversial move. Then he hired Ben Davison, Tyson Fury’s former trainer.

It looked as if all the moves had been made. The table was set for an eventual bout against Jose Ramirez for all the pieces to the world’s 140-pound title. But the eventual end of coronavirus is nowhere in sight.

“We’ve never experienced this kind of situation before, so we’ve just got to sit tight and follow the guidelines,’’ Taylor said. “I’d been sitting watching all the boxing shows scheduled for the next month or two being postponed. So it wasn’t too much of a surprise when the call finally came through to tell me it was off.’’

Taylor, who got the news Tuesday, is hoping for a new date in July. Then again, so are a lot of other fighters.

“I’ve spent a lot of money on this training camp coming out to Vegas,’’ Taylor said. “… So it’s really frustrating. I’ve been in camp for quite a few weeks now, and although there is no alternative date yet, I would hope the fight could maybe be rescheduled for July or something like that.

“I’ll keep training in the gym and hopefully it’s not too long before I’m back in the ring.”

Only the waiting will get old.

Eddie Hearn still confident Billy Joe Saunders will fight Canelo Alvarez

Promoter Eddie Hearn still believes that BJ Saunders will get his chance to face Canelo Alvarez, despite the coronavirus…

Not so fast.

Promoter Eddie Hearn says his charge Billy Joe Saunders still has “a deal in place” to face Canelo Alvarez in the summer, should health concerns allow it, despite a a recent report that Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin had agreed to terms on a third fight in September.

The projected Alvarez-Saunders title bout in May was never announced because of the ravaging effects of the coronavirus, which has upended sports programming around the globe.

“(Alvarez-Saunders) now depends when the sport begins again,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “Because that fight was supposed to take place on Cinco de Mayo. Now that’s definitely not happening.”

Hearn, ever the optimist, believes the fight can still happen if the coronavirus threat subsides considerably by the summer.

“Will boxing return in June, July?” he said. “If it does, then there’s every chance that Billy Joe will fight Canelo Alvarez during that period. And the date of the Golovkin fight will be pushed back.”

Saunders is a super middleweight titleholder, which means Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) would have an opportunity to win a legitimate title in a fourth division. He won what the WBA calls its “regular” 168-pound title when he stopped Rocky Fielding in 2018 but Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize that belt.

One silver lining for Saunders (29-0, 14 KOs) is that he wouldn’t have to travel far should an Alvarez fight materialize.

“Right now Billy Joe is in Las Vegas training,” Hearn said. “We were supposed to have a press conference on Monday to announce the Canelo Alvarez fight, so he’s out there training with (trainer) Ben Davison and (junior welterweight titleholder) Josh Taylor, who just had his fight postponed from May 2.

“No one knows what they’re doing. It’s a moment where you got to stay focused, you’ve got to stay disciplined. I believe Billy Joe Saunders will fight Canelo Alvarez as long as the boxing schedule returns in the summer.”

Usyk manager: ‘It would be big problem to not box for long time’

Oleksandr Usyk hopes his fight with Dereck Chisora on May 23 will go on as scheduled and lead to a busy end to a chaotic year.

Staying busy, one of boxing reliable formulas, is quickly becoming impossible amid the wave of cancellations forced by the coronavirus pandemic, yet Oleksandr Usyk still has a date he hopes will lead to a busy end to a chaotic year.

May 23 against Dereck Chisora at London’s O2 Arena is still on Usyk’s schedule. How long it will be there is anybody’s guess. Boxing in the United States has gone dark through at least the end of April.

Bouts in early May appear to be tentative. Promoters reportedly have postponed the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders super middleweight fight, scheduled for May 2, until sometime in June, a month that already includes Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title defense against Kubrat Pulev on the 20^th, also in London.

If the coronavirus threat subsides, maybe Usyk-Chisora will be the first bout in boxing’s return. Usyk can only hope. And maybe pray.

“Oleksandr wants to be in the ring to get busy,” Usyk manager Egis Klimas told Sky Sports after the Chisora fight was formally announced last week. “It would be a big problem to not box for a long time.”

Usyk hasn’t fought since his heavyweight debut, a stoppage of late stand-in Chazz Witherspoon in October. Injuries, including one to an elbow, have plagued him. The former cruiserweight champion was initially expected to make his second heavyweight appearance on March 28. Yet, he continues to rank as the mandatory challenger to one of the belts held by Joshua (AJ).

“It’s very good when people talk a lot about Tyson Fury and AJ, because every time they talk they mention me as the mandatory challenger,” said Usyk, No. 5 in Boxing Junkie’s latest pound-for-pound poll.

“I don’t really like to guess what’s going to be in the future. My guess is that everything is pre-defined by the Lord, and all we need to do is to wait for our time to come. But if someone tries to cheat us, we will fight for our rights. Someone may just try to cheat us.”

For now, coronavirus is cheating just about everybody. For now, fighting it is the only fight.

Top Rank cancels cards through April, including Beterbiev, Inoue bouts

Top Rank shelved all cards scheduled through April, including those featuring Artur Beterbiev and Naoya Inoue, because of coronavirus.

One more domino fell Monday.

Top Rank shelved all cards scheduled through April, including light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev’s title defense on March 28 and bantamweight champ Naoya Inoue’s Las Vegas debut on April 25 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The health and safety of our fighters, staff and ESPN’s incredible production team is the most important thing as we plan our next steps,” Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said hours after Premier Boxing Champions canceled its schedule through April and Matchroom Boxing canceled the Regis Prograis-Maurice Hooker junior welterweight bout.

“We look forward to the day when we can bring our loyal fans world-class boxing once again, but exercising caution is the most prudent thing to do at this moment.”

After canceling cards in New York featuring featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson on Saturday and Mick Conlan on Tuesday, Arum had talked about trying to stage boxing in a studio-like production. There would have been no fans. Only judges, referee, ringside physician, ESPN’s broadcast crew and other necessary personnel would have been there.

Then, however, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory Sunday, recommending that events with 50 people or more should not happen over the next eight weeks. On top of that, MGM announced that its casinos and hotels in Las Vegas would be closed for “the foreseeable future.’’

Inoue was scheduled for a title defense against John Riel Casimero at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay, an MGM property. Beterbiev was set to fight Fanlong Meng in Quebec City, Canada.

Regis Prograis vs. Maurice Hooker, three PBC cards shelved

The Regis Prograis-Maurice Hooker fight and three PBC cards have been shelved as a result of the coronavirus threat.

Premier Boxing Champions is canceling cards through at least the end of April and Matchroom Boxing is calling off the Regis Prograis-Maurice Hooker bout because of the coronavirus pandemic.

PBC decided Monday to shelve three cards, including super middleweight David Benavidez’s homecoming scheduled for April 17 against Roamer Alexis Angulo at the Arizona Federal Theater in downtown Phoenix.

“The health and safety of the boxers, fans and those working the events are of utmost importance to us,” Tom Brown, president of TGB Promotions and lead promoter for the canceled PBC shows, said in a statement. “We are all disappointed, and as we get more information we will address future events.”

Prograis-Hooker, an intriguing junior welterweight bout, had been scheduled for April 17 at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn said he will try to re-schedule the bout.

Two other PBS cards were scheduled, one featuring Luis Nery vs. Aaron Alvarado in a bantamweight bout on March 28 at the MGM’s Park Theater in Las Vegas and Jamal James vs. Thomas Dulorme in a welterweight bout on April 11 at The Armory in Minneapolis.

The MGM announced Sunday that it was closing its casinos and hotels in Las Vegas for “the foreseeable future.’’

Meanwhile, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an advisory Sunday that events with more than 50 people should not be held over the next eight weeks. That means there might not be any boxing in the U.S. until at least May 11.

Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders fight pushed back to at least June

The Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders fight, set for May 2, has been pushed back to at least June as a result of the coronavirus threat.

Canelo Alvarez reportedly will not be fighting on Cinco de Mayo weekend.

The handlers of Alvarez and super middleweight titleholder Billy Joe Saunders, who had agreed to fight on May 2 in Las Vegas, have postponed their bout until at least June because of the coronavirus threat, according to BoxingScene.com.

And, of course, there are no guarantees that it will take place at that time because of the uncertainty of the pandemic.

The Alvarez-Saunders bout was expected to be formally announced last week and a kickoff promotion was scheduled for Tuesday in Los Angeles. Now those involved, as well as the pubic, is in a wait-and-see mode.

The powers that be in boxing, like those in other sports, are adjusting day to day to the spreading threat.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission banned all combat sports events through March 25 but almost certainly will extend that order.

Alvarez and Saunders have been training for their fight, Alvarez in San Diego and Saunders in Las Vegas. It’s unclear how the postponement and prospect of further delays will affect their regimens.

Alvarez will be attempting to win a title in a fourth weight division whenever the two actually begin exchanging punches.

Promoter Bob Arum: Staging cards in studios could save them

Bob Arum is mulling the possibility of staging boxing cards in studios, with only essential personnel, but Coronavirus testing would be key.

From elbow bumps when greeting someone to staying at home, there are lots of ways to practice social distancing.

Going into a studio might be another way.

At least, Bob Arum thinks so.

In attempt to save cards from cancellation in the face of the spreading coronavirus pandemic, Arum said he is thinking about staging bouts without fans and with only cameras, referee, judges, ringside physicians and other necessary personnel in Las Vegas.

“We’re gonna try to set up a studio atmosphere in Vegas, so we can do fights maybe,” the Top Rank chairman said Friday during “The Ak & Barak Show” on SiriusXM.

A couple of options are the Artur Beterbiev-Meng Fanlong and Naoya Inoue-John Riel Casimero bouts, which had been scheduled for March 28 in Quebec City and April 25 in Las Vegas, respectively.

Arum had considered a studio-like setting for the Shakur Stevenson-Miguel Marriaga fight this past Saturday and a Saint Patrick’s Day card featuring Mick Conlan on Tuesday, both at the Hulu Theater at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Initially, it was announced both cards would take place without fans in the seats. Then, however, both were cancelled. The Nevada State Athletic Commission said no, because testing for the respiratory infection was not available, according to Arum.

ESPN was scheduled to televise both cards. Other than the UFC, the network has been left with virtually no content because of the virus. College basketball’s tournaments have been cancelled. The NBA has been suspended. Major league baseball has canceled remaining spring-training games.

“They’re gonna need content, and we can provide content’’ Arum said. “We’ve talked to the athletic commission here (in Nevada), doing fights in a studio. But we’ve got to get the testing done. We’ve gotta get enough tests here, so that we can test the fighters before the fights, so we can show that they do not have the virus. Or, if they have the virus, they can’t fight. I mean, that’s what we’re working on.”

Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders fight still up in air amid pandemic

The spreading coronavirus threat continues to create chaos with boxing’s schedule, including the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders fight.

The spreading coronavirus threat continues to create chaos with cancellations and uncertainty about boxing’s schedule over the next several weeks, including Canelo Alvarez’s projected super middleweight bout against Billy Joe Saunders on May 2 in Las Vegas.

It still hasn’t been announced and it’s not clear when, or if, it will.

Not even Saunders promoter Eddie Hearn is sure, although he expects an announcement, perhaps early this week.

“I do think it will be announced early next week now,” Hearn told iFL TV Saturday. “Everyone is getting their head around [coronavirus] and putting a strategy together. Billy Joe and Canelo is done, and all of the terms are agreed on that fight.’’

President Donald Trump announced further travel restrictions for U.K. and Irish citizens Saturday. Hearn said Saunders, who lives outside London, is already in the United States.

“Billy Joe is actually in America training right now,’’ Hearn said.

But it’s not clear whether promoters would want to proceed with the fight if the restrictions would limit U.K. fans from traveling to the U.S. for the bout. Canelo Alvarez is tied to Golden Boy Promotions.

“There is supposed to be a press conference,’’ Hearn said. “We’ll see what happens.”

The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended combat sports through March 25 at an emergency meeting Saturday. The state’s regulatory agency will decide on events after that date at a meeting scheduled for March 25.

“You’d like to think there is a very strong chance for May 2,” Hearn said. “Will it be postponed to the end of May, early June? Maybe. But that’s one for Golden Boy.”