PBC cancels Saturday Maryland show amid Coronavirus scare

As the medical crisis surrounding the Coronavirus continues to affect all facets of life in the United States, it’s not surprising that a top promotion’s boxing card for Saturday night is a casualty.

Thursday afternoon, Premier Boxing Champions announced that their planned show to be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1 cable Saturday night from Maryland has been cancelled.

OFFICIAL: Saturday's PBC Fight Night headlined by #KirklandHernandez has been postponed due to the coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/mfsssTFNq1

— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) March 12, 2020

Tom Brown, President of TGB promotions said in a brief statement released to the media,

“In the interest of public health and after reviewing the current information on COVID-19, we have decided the best course of action is to postpone Saturday’s event.”

The Saturday night fight card was scheduled for the MGM National Harbor Arena in Oxon Hill, Maryland, and the main event fight was to have been a middleweight non-title showdown between veterans Marcos Hernandez and James Kirkland.

The 35 year old Kirkland was to have fought for the third time off a four year layoff after he was knocked out by Canelo Alvarez in 2015. Kirkland had scored KO’s in both of his comeback fights. Hernandez, shown above, is an eight year veteran with a 14-3-1 record.

It also calls into question as to whether or not the two scheduled Top Rank boxing cards to both be held Saturday night and then, on Tuesday night at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York will now also soon be cancelled.

Top Rank announced earlier in the day Thursday that the fights were still scheduled, but would be without fans in attendance- only fight team members, essential personnel and the media.

WBO featherweight Champion Shakur Stevenson, is scheduled to defend against  Miguel Marriaga at the Hulu Theater on Saturday night and it is scheduled to be televised by ESPN.

Meantime, on Tuesday night (St Patrick’s Day) Irish unbeaten featherweight contender Michael Conlan will be in action at that same Hulu theater adjacent to Madison Square Garden’s main Arena in the Top Rank main event that will also be televised by ESPN. And, apparently that fight, for now, will go on as scheduled, but, also, without fans present.

It was expected that the Conlan fight in particular would be near capacity or sold out, because of the strategic planning of having the fight on St. Patrick’s Day Night with a prominent Irish fighter. And there is a huge Irish American fan base in New York. Conlan fought in the same setting last St. Patrick’s Day in NYC, as well.

Already, the NBA, and the NHL have stopped their regular seasons starting tonight. Major League baseball has announced that it will suspended all Spring Training activities and games and that it’s regular season will start at least two weeks later into April.

Also, Thursday afternoon the NCAA made the unprecedented decision to completely cancel it’s 2020 massively popular tournament. It will be the first time since 1938 that they will not have a champion.