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.