BRITISH BOXING is booming and the Coronavirus has not whacked it – yet!
The European Olympic trials for Tokyo 2020 are taking place at London’s Copper Box now until March 24 but on Sunday night were closed to fans.
Heavyweight fights between Joshua and Pulev as well as Dubois vs Joyce face being axed
⚠️ Read our Coronavirus in Sport live blog for the latest news, updates and cancellations
And the London UFC show that was due to take place at the O2 on Saturday night is in the process of being moved to America, minus the headline fight between Brit Leon Edwards and US ace Tyron Woodley.
But professional boxing, as it stands, is still upright and swinging with small-hall shows planned this weekend in Cleethorpes, Bethnal Green’s iconic York Hall, Barnsley, Bolton and Scotland.
One of boxing’s biggest weak spots is a lack of a centralised worldwide governing body – like a Fifa or World Rugby – to police issues like weight cutting, doping and other issues.
But without one ultimate ruler, the various sanctioning bodies and promoters can carry on until the Government steps in.
The London Marathon has been postponed, Uefa has postponed next week’s Champions and Europa League fixtures and Saturday’s Six Nations match between Wales and Scotland is also off.
Cycling’s Giro d’Italia, scheduled to start in Hungary in May is off, England’s Test cricket series in Sri Lanka is cancelled, golf’s opening major of the year, the Masters, has been postponed and Formula 1 has called off the China, Bahrain and Vietnam GPs.
But there remains a host of major boxing cards – involving some of the UK’s biggest names – currently scheduled that will go ahead unless our politicians step in.
Here are the major fights in the firing line but currently still set to go the distance.
March 28 – O2, London – headline: Josh Kelly vs David Avanesyan
The Brit welterweight is desperate to face the rock-hard Russian after he was forced to pull out of their original clash through illness.
Eddie Hearn is promoting the show, that also features Conor Benn and Joshua Buatsi, and he has guaranteed refunds for all of his shows if he is forced to cancel.
April 4 – Motorpoint Arena, Newcastle – headline: Lewis Ritson vs Miguel Vazquez
The Geordie super-lightweight is the local hero but even more importantly, British star Savannah Marshall is supposed to have her first world title shot at light-heavyweight, for the WBO belt, against Geovana Perez.
Hearn’s Matchroom are again promoting the show, with Sky Sports hoping to broadcast it.
April 11 – O2, London – headline: Daniel Dubois vs Joe Joyce
Queensberry promoter Frank Warren has made a sensational fight between two brilliant British heavyweights for the Lonsdale, Commonwealth and European titles.
Rio 2016 Olympic silver winner Joyce spent around £60,000 taking his training camp to Las Vegas to be best prepared for the 34-year-olds’s must-win clash.
Rising UK stars Anthony Yarde, Archie Sharpe and Dennis McCann will hopefully all be on the BT Sport PPV card.
April 24 – Doncaster Dome, Yorkshire – headline: Terri Harper vs Natasha Jonas
Nobody deserves a homecoming world title defence more than newly crowned WBC queen Harper.
The 23-year-old starlet grabbed her crown with a punch-perfect win over classy veteran Eva Wahlstrom in February and this local show is her hard-earned party.
Hearn and Sky are running this event and it is scheduled to be a celebration of British female fighting with Shannon Courtenay and Chantelle Cameron on the undercard.
Whyte and Povetkin are set to face each other in MayCredit: PA:Press Association
May 2 – Manchester Arena – headline: Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin
How unlucky can the Brixton Body Snatcher get? Stuck on the backburner by the WBC over his heavyweight world title shot for almost three years, now his next big battle is under threat.
Russian veteran Povetkin was lured back to the UK to give the 31-year-old interim champ a serious test while he tries to stay sharp before his shot at Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury comes.
But now a pandemic poses a bigger concern than Povetkin’s brutal left hook.
Irish legend Katie Taylor is supposed to be fighting Amanda Serrano as the chief support, in what would arguably be the biggest fight in the history of women’s boxing. Again Hearn and Sky Sports are in charge.
May 9 – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff – Lee Selby vs George Kambosos Jr
The former IBF featherweight king is scheduled for a lightweight final eliminator against his former sparring partner on Sky Sports via Matchroom.
Northern Ireland’s James Tennyson, Wales’ Joe Cordina and Scotland’s John Docherty are all also pencilled in for the Saturday show.
May 23 – O2, London – headline: Derek Chisora vs Oleksandr Usyk
Hearn and Sky Sports only hosted the press conference for this mouthwatering clash on Friday, with both the Londoner and the Ukraine hero wearing masks and smothering themselves in hand sanitiser.
Chisora’s manager and former two-weight world champ David Haye revealed all of Del Boy’s sparring partners will be personally quarantined and barred from going out and partying while involved in his London camp.
Usyk and Chisora were both very relaxed on the headlines surrounding the virus, with the Brit refusing to stockpile and Usyk vowing to use water if he returns to the UK during a toilet-roll shortage.
June 20 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – headline: Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev
AJ’s homecoming, after two years away fighting in New York and Saudi Arabia, is the fight furthest away in the diary but the size of the Joshua show means it has to be planned months in advance.
Hearn has insisted that the defence of AJ’s WBA, IBF and WBO belts will NOT be held behind closed doors to fulfil the mandatory defence.
No undercard fights have been announced for this heavyweight clash at the new North London football stadium, which could pack around 60,000 fans in.
Derek Chisora is set to fight Oleksandr Usyk in MayCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Eddie Hearn could lose around £250,000 of personal fortune if coronavirus hits his boxing schedule
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
