Report- PBC will return on Showtime and Fox in August

More good news for fight fans, as Premier Boxing Champions appears to finally be solidifying its return to the sport post- Covid-19.

A report Thursday from Keith Idec of Boxingscene.com says that the promotional outlet/fight series will be back on both Showtime premium cable and Fox Sports over the air coming in August<

After exploring studio settings, Showtime & FOX will televise PBC shows from more traditional venues for boxing (without fans, of course). My story: https://t.co/cpmKulkXj8

— Keith Idec (@Idecboxing) July 9, 2020

Idec further confirmed, Showtime will have its first fight card since March on Saturday night August 1st. And, after debating about whether to hold the fights without fans at the Viacom CBS Television Studios in Los Angeles, the premium outlet has decided instead, to hold them without fans at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Connecticut.

Later on Thursday Mike Coppinger, insider for The Athletic, reported that the Showtime main event would be a WBO World title showdown:

Showtime Boxing will return Aug. 1 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut with a PBC main event featuring Stephen Fulton vs. Angelo Leo for the WBO 122-pound title being vacated by Emmanuel Navarrete, sources tell The Athletic. Compelling matchup between two undefeated fighters

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) July 9, 2020

Fulton will turn 26 later this month, is from Philly and is 18-0, 8 KOs.

As for Navarrete, the vacating of his Jr. Featherweight title signals that he will continue to fight at Featherweight, as he did last month in Mexico City when he knocked out Uriel Lopez in the main event fight without fans at TV Azteca’s studio. It’s believed that Navarrete, who had made 5 defenses of his belt in less than 12 months, will quickly get a Featherweight title shot later this fall.

Meanwhile, Idec further confirmed what we wrote earlier this week the Fox and PBC have moved their return to boxing to Saturday night August 8th.

The two had originally hoped to air their first fight card together since the coronavirus shut down four months ago on Saturday night July 25th. However the start of the abbreviated MLB schedule will be the weekend of the 24th / 25th and Fox, the primary MLB television rights holder, will televise national game broadcasts instead on that Saturday night and August 1st.

That main event will be Minneapolis welterweight Jamal “Shango” James (photo at top) fighting Thomas Dulorme in a bout for the WBA “regular” Welterweight title rescheduled from April.

James, 26 – 1, 12 KOs, is from Minneapolis and that is where the original fight was to have taken place. Idec wrote it will now instead happen at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, without fans.

And, that is where PBC is planning on holding fights more Fox fight cards without fans in the short term.

James has won his last six fights, including a 10 round main event decision in Minneapolis over Anthony DeMarco, also last July. Dulorme is 25-3-1, with 16 KOs and will be formidable competition for James.

As it stands now, DAZN Streaming and Golden Boy promotions intend to return for the first time in four months later in July with a fight card in California without fans, featuring Vergil Ortiz in the main event. Meantime, Top Rank Boxing has been far more organized and aggressive in resuming regular fight cards, while holding two per week since early June in Las Vegas.