Arum looking at two-three weekly Top Rank fight cards in June
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is looking forward to getting live boxing back up and running in the United States as long as all safety precautions are met and that everyone is clear during this pandemic.
Arum speaking recently with ESPN Ringside laid out his plan to have boxing up and running sometime in June and laid out to them the tentative locations.
“We hope to be operational sometime in June. We’re working with commissions in Nevada, California, and Texas, and we want to make sure that when we’re up and running and of course, it would have to be done without audiences,” Arum said to ESPN Ringside.
“Hopefully we can do two or three boxing events each week.” @BobArum wants @trboxing to hit the ground running “some time in June.” pic.twitter.com/ZYe2tOzuS8
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) April 26, 2020
Arum continued, “It’s done properly. The participants, not only the fighters but the cornerman, have been tested.”
“That’s a key thing is testing. That the commission and the referee and judges, you and the other announcers would have to be tested. The camera people would be tested, and then hopefully, we can do two or three boxing events each week. That’s our plan.”
The current plan will be in the United States is to have live boxing without fans because testing is one of the key issues currently in this country during the pandemic. While the first live boxing event took place last night with supporters in Nicaragua, the fans in attendance were instructed to disinfect their hands and shoes upon entry before being forced to sit a safe distance apart. While the country of Nicaragua doesn’t have social distancing guidelines during this time, the U.S. does, and if Arum is looking to have live boxing back in June, fans aren’t in the immediate picture for the time being.
So with Top Rank trying to be up and running by June, a name who could be in action would be Joshua Greer Jr. Greer (22-1-1, 12 KOs) was initially slated to take on Jason Moloney.
— Joshua Greer Jr (@JoshuaGreerJr) April 26, 2020
Greer, instead of Moloney, would be in the ring with IBF bantamweight titleholder Johnriel Casimero as the Filipino champion has stayed in Las Vegas during this time. For Greer, it doesn’t matter.
“I’m just looking for the winner, either or. I’m gonna take care of my business against Jason Moloney, beat him, and I’m looking toward the winner, and I’m ready for either one,” Greer said to Boxingscene.
Arum looking at having two to three fights a week starting in June is interesting as with the lack of live sporting events going on at this time and a lot of athletes playing video games on ESPN, this would fill a void on a network that needs more sporting content.
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
