Boxing restart – Syndication Server

Fightnight Live unveils $5 PPV plan for regional boxing shows

Fightnight Live, an interactive Facebook series, plans to charge $5 to watch regional and club shows to help boxing restart.

Five dollars to watch regional and club boxing shows?

That’s the plan unveiled by Fightnight Live, an interactive Facebook series that has streamed 48 live events from 21 different cities since May 2017. The goal is to create a revenue stream to help regional promoters stage combat sports cards without spectators or with small crowds, if that’s what’s required amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news release.

Boxing is scheduled to restart next month.

“This has been a challenging time for so many, and we’re incredibly pleased to introduce a Facebook option that can enable fight cards to happen safely, with socially-distanced crowds or even without fans in the stands,” said Mark Fratto, principal and director of business development, Linacre Media.

“The top promoters in boxing and MMA have lucrative broadcast and streaming deals, but regional/club promoters have limited options without ticket revenue. Fightnight Live PPV can be a path forward; a public health-conscious and financially-responsible way to get fighters fighting again.”

Fratto went on: “Thanks to the steadfast commitment from our partners at Everlast, Fightnight Live PPV shows will be affordable for fan consumption, and the low production price point will enable promoters to get their fighters back in the ring as soon as they can get commission-approved, safe dates.

“And of course, the safety of the fighters, officials and everyone involved will be paramount. Our production crews will operate with testing, masks, social distancing and will even work offsite, REMI-style, when appropriate.”

The Fightnight Live PPV schedule will be announced “in the coming weeks,” according to the release.

Fightnight Live is available at www.facebook.com/facefightnightlive.

Top Rank targeting June 9 restart; Shakur Stevenson could be headliner

Top Rank is discussing the possibility of staging a card on June 9 in Las Vegas, and Shakur Stevenson could be the headliner.

Shakur Stevenson reportedly might be the first major fighter to be showcased after the coronavirus lock down.

Top Rank, his promoter, is discussing the possibility of staging a card – without a live audience – on June 9 in Las Vegas, according to multiple reports. And Stevenson, a featherweight titleholder, is a candidate to be the start of the show.

The card would be televised on an ESPN channel. It would be held at an MGM property, according to ESPN.

“It’s the tentative date for Top Rank, subject to working with the commission [in Nevada],” Arum told ESPN. “We’re optimistic on it, and working with ESPN. They want that date, so that is the tentative date.”

Stevenson, who won the vacant title by outpointing Joet Gonzalez in October, was scheduled to defend it against Miguel Marriaga on March 14 in New York City but the fight was postponed because of the pandemic.

UFC’s Dana White produced the blueprint for boxing’s restart

The success of UFC 249 amid the coronavirus pandemic should serve as an example for the powers that be in boxing.

UFC’s Dana White demonstrated that it can be done successfully.

White staged UFC 249 on Saturday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, his first event since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March. And consensus is that things went well. The fights were fun to watch even without the energy of spectators.

In fact, I found it interesting to hear low-decibel sounds – the referee’s warnings to the fighters, for example – that might’ve been lost amid the din of the crowd.

Bottom line: White proved that a high-quality combat sports event can be staged in a responsible manner amid the ongoing COVID-19 threat. And it’s a good bet the powers that be in boxing were paying close attention.

White took all necessary precautions. All of those connected to the event were screened beforehand, which included COVID-19 testing. Production crews were limited to essential personnel who were required to wear masks and gloves. Social distancing was encouraged. Fighters trained in separate areas. The mat was disinfected between fights. And the list goes on.

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“The whole world is weird right now. Everything’s weird. This event’s weird,” White told the Associated Press. “It’s different. We live in a different world than we did two months ago. The bottom line is the system worked.

“What you don’t want to do is two days after the fight say, ‘Awe, Jacare [Souza] tested positive.’ So it worked. The system worked that we put in place.”

Indeed it did. And it served as an example for those in boxing. Bob Arum, who was critical of White, said he plans to begin staging cards the first week of June. He and other boxing promoters will have benefited from the work White and Co. did on Saturday.

It wasn’t a perfect promotion. Middleweight Jacare Souza and two of his cornermen tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, the day before the event. That’s bad. UFC’s reaction to the news was good.

White pointed out that UFC officials tested 300 people during fight week. Souza and his cornermen were the only ones who tested positive. The 23 remaining fighters tested negative.

Souza was removed from the competition and, along with his cornermen, he left the host hotel to self-isolate elsewhere. UFC’s medical team reportedly monitored their condition and provided any assistance they needed, medical or otherwise.

The rest of the show apparently went off without a significant hitch.

“We administered 1,200 tests this week, on 300 people,” White told ESPN. “It’s not unexpected one person would test positive. The system works. And what’s good about this is now we know Jacare tested positive, he’s doing what he needs to do and we’re in a position to help him if he needs it.”

So not only did White pull off a successful event, he and his team demonstrated that a positive test doesn’t have to be a disaster.

Now it’s important to ask one question: Could we learn later that some of those involved contracted the virus at UFC 249? That’s possible. And if those numbers turn out to be significant, we might have to reassess the event.

However, in terms of what we know at his moment, White scored a knock out.