Tag: Coronvirus

Larry David’s PSA asking people to stay home is pretty, pretty, pretty good

Listen to Larry David, folks.

The 10th season of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm ended a few weeks ago, which stinks because it was a great season of watching Larry David doing Larry David things and right now we need all the entertainment and laughs that we can get.

Because things are pretty darn rough right now.

Thankfully the great Larry David is here to entertain us some more while also delivering an important message to people in California about staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

As you might have guessed, Larry is all for staying home and he has a message for those who feel or do differently:

Listen to Larry, folks.

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Manny Pacquiao on front lines fighting coronavirus in Philippines

Manny Pacquiao said he’s putting his boxing career aside for the time being to help fight coronavirus in his native Philippines.

Manny Pacquiao has a fight. He is fighting coronavirus.

The Filipino senator is buying testing kits and face masks. He also has donated buses to transport medical personnel to where they are needed in Manila

Pacquiao told The Manila Bulletin he will work with his fellow citizens where ever he has to, even if it puts him at risk of infection.

He told The Bulletin that he was “not afraid to die.” He said it was his duty to help fellow Filipinos.

‘If you are a leader, you have to be a front-liner,’’ Pacquiao said. “You have to lead people and let people see that you are with them. I grew up poor. I know what they feel.”

According the The Bulletin, Pacquiao has helped pay for testing devices and surgical masks. He said he is waiting on a shipment 50,000 more testing kits from China.

Pacquiao had been hoping for a return to the ring in July. He last fought last July 7, scoring a split-decision victory over Keith Thurman for a welterweight belt in Las Vegas.

For now, however, he has shelved plans for a comeback.

“This is the first thing we need to pay attention to,’’ said Pacquiao, who is also concerned that hunger and looting will happen because of the spreading virus. “That’s chaos, and that’s what I fear could happen.”

Hall of Fame officials hoping induction weekend won’t be postponed

International Boxing Hall of Fame officials are hoping that induction weekend takes place in mid-June as scheduled.

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc with boxing and all other sports. One more possible postponement if the threat doesn’t subside soon: The International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend.

The annual event, in which inductees join the pantheon of great boxers and contributors, has become an institution in June in Canastota, New York.

However, the Hall will be closed through the end of the month and possibly beyond. Executive Direction Ed Brophy told the New York Post that he hopes the event will still take place June 11-14.

“Hall of Fame weekend is still on for mid-June,” Brophy told The Post. “But we’ll continue to follow the rules and regulations of the county and the state and monitor all the different guidelines and watch what happens day-by-day and week-by-week as we go through March.”

The Class of 2020 is a high-powered one, as Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley are the marquee names that will enter the Hall. And, for the first time, women will be inducted. The first three honorees are Christy Martin, Lucia Rijker and Barbara Buttrick.

“It’s an historic class with the first females to be enshrined and have their plaques in the museum,” Brophy said. “Ticket sales for the weekend had been good since the fall when we made the announcement of the inductees. We’re still right on target for have a special weekend. We’re going to continue to monitor the next week and a half and the beginning of April and determine what is happening.

“Everything is day-to-day. It’s hard to forecast out to June. But the best position we can be in is to maintain our plans that are well underway and keep moving forward.”

Olympic qualifier for American boxers canceled due to coronavirus

The Olympics qualifiers for the Americas, the final leg for boxers hoping to make the 2020 Tokyo games, has been cancelled…

The Olympic boxing qualifier for the Americas, scheduled to take place March 26 to April 3 in Buenos Aires, has been canceled because of the coronavirus.

The government of Argentina decided to “restrict all types of international events in the country with immediate effect as a precautionary measure to COVID-19,” according to a statement by the International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force, the organization that took over for AIBA to oversee all boxing events for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“We are searching for the appropriate solution for this unexpected situation and will immediately inform the National Olympic Committees, National Federations and other impacted parties as soon as further information is available.”

The tournament, which is open to all boxers from North, South and Central America, is the last qualifier for boxers hoping to make the summer Tokyo Olympics. It is uncertain whether the IOC will move ahead with the Olympics. The games are scheduled to start July 24.

The BTF organizes qualifiers in five regions around the world but is unlikely to complete them all. The European qualifier is still scheduled to take place in London March 13-23, but a delay or cancellation is still a possibility. The final qualifier is scheduled for May 13 in Paris.

The BTF’s announcement was made Wednesday shortly before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic. Later that same day, the NBA decided to suspend its season “until further notice” after one of its players, center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, tested positive for the coronavirus.

Among many drastic steps taken by sports organizations worldwide, the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be played without fans.

 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon