Tag: Mick Conlan

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.

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.”

Bob Arum on why cards at Madison Square Garden were canceled

Bob Arum of Top Rank eventually decided to cancel the Shakur Stevenson and Mick Conlan cards at Madison Square Garden because fighters…

It came down to one question: Can fighters be tested for the ever-expanding coronavirus?

Ultimately, the answer was a no. So on Thursday promoter Top Rank and New York City’s Madison Square Garden decided to pull the plug on both the Shakur Stevenson-Miguel Marriaga and Mick Conlan-Belmar Preciado cards that were scheduled to take place today and Tuesday, respectively, at MSG’s Hulu Theater.

Initially, both Top Rank and MSG decided to carry on with both cards without a live audience, inviting only relevant staff and media. That fulfilled the criterion laid down by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who announced a ban on gatherings larger than 500 people. Stevenson-Marriaga was scheduled to be featured on ESPN, Conaln-Preciado on ESPN+.

But with nearly the entire American sporting scene moving to suspend seasons outright – from professional and collegiate basketball to hockey, soccer and baseball – there was pressure for boxing to do the same. Then, of course, there was the question of testing. Or rather, the inability to do so.

That was the final nail in the coffin, according to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum.

“We were consulting the whole time with the New York State Athletic Commission,” Arum told SiriusXM. “They correctly brought in their medical staff and their advisers, and they said we would advise you to not go ahead [with the two shows] because who is going to test the fighters? And if a fighter has the virus, he could easily transmit it to his opponent, who might not have it, because they’re in very, very close contact.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 testing is only available for those who have received doctor’s orders or “have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19, or if you live in or have recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19.”

Fighters who show no apparent symptoms, therefore, would not be eligible to get tested.

Arum had hoped that the shows could go on, given how much preparation and investment are made into one-off events like boxing.

“We have an obligation to these young men, to these fighters, who work like a bastard to get ready for a fight,” Arum said. “The last thing we wanted to do is pull the plug so we figured we could apply with the New York State rule, no more than (500) people in a room, and do the fight without an audience. No media, no nothing, just the television. And it looked like we could get that done.

“I mean it was a big sacrifice for us to lose the gate, but at least the fights [could go] on.”

But with no ability to test for the coronavirus, the fights, ultimately, were a moot point.

 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon

Shakur Stevenson, Mick Conlan to headline March featherweight cards

Shakur Stevenson and Mick Conlan are scheduled to headline featherweight cards in March.

Featherweights will bring their own version of March Madness to New York.

First, Shakur Stevenson will make the first defense of his 126-pound title against veteran Colombian challenger Miguel Marriaga on March 14 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater on ESPN.

Three days later, Irish featherweight Mick Conlan will be at Hulu Theater for his annual celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day against Belmar Preciado, also of Colombia.

The featherweight two-step, announced Tuesday by Top Rank, will begin with Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) in his first bout since scoring a unanimous decision over Joet Gonzalez on Oct. 26.

“We’ve been trying to make this fight with Miguel Marriaga for a long time now,” Stevenson said. “I wanted a strong opponent for my first title defense. He’s been in the ring with multiple world champions, and I am ready to prove that I am the best featherweight in the world. This is my fourth fight at Madison Square Garden, but my first as a world champion, and it will be my best performance yet.”

Marriaga (29-3, 25 KOs) has challenged for world titles three times, losing all three to Nicholas Walters, Oscar Valdez Jr. and Vasiliy Lomachenko. He has won his last four fights, all by stoppage.

“I always wanted this fight, and the time is right now that he’s a world champion,” Marriaga said. “He speaks often about how people are ducking him, but here I am. Colombia will have a new world champion March 14.”

Conlan (13-0, 7 KOs), who will make a fourth straight St Paddy’s Day appearance at Hulu, looms as a potential challenger for the Stevenson-Marriaga winner.

“I know how tough Preciado (20-2-1, 13 KOs) is, but this fight is a great test as I continue on my path towards becoming a world champion,’’ Conlan said.

On the March 14 card, former junior-featherweight champion Jessie Magdaleno (27-1, 18 KOs) will face unbeaten Sakaria Lukas (23-0, 16 KOs) of Namibia in a 10-round featherweight bout.

On the March 17 card, unbeaten Mikaela Mayer (12-0, 5 KOs) will take on Melissa Hernandez (23-7-3, 7 KOs), a former featherweight champ, in a junior lightweight bout.

Terence Crawford, Egidjius Kavaliasukas make weight

Terence Crawford and Egidjius Kavaliasukas both made weight for their main event welterweight clash on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Terence Crawford and Egidjius Kavaliasukas both made weight for their welterweight clash on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City on ESPN. At stake is Crawford’s welterweight title.

Omaha’s Crawford (30-5, 26 KOs) weighed in at the 147-pound limit. Lithuania’s Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs) weighed 146½.

For the undercard, titleholder Richard Commey (29-2, 26 KOs) and challenger Teofimo Lopez (14-0, 11 KOs) both stepped on the scales at 134¼ pounds for their 12-round lightweight fight.

Also, Mick Conlan (12-0, 7 KOs) weighed in at 125½, while Vladimir Nikitin (3-0) weighed the limit of 126 for their 10-round featherweight bout, a rematch of their meeting in the 2016 Olympics, in which Nikitin won a controversial decision.