The COVID-19 pandemic could force many boxers to leave the sport for financial reasons, leading British promoter Eddie Hearn said on Monday.
Hearn, whose Matchroom Boxing promotes world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, told the BBC that those fighters starting out in the sport or at the bottom of the ladder face tough times.
“If this drags on to September, October, November, December, we’ll have fighters that have not boxed this year,” Hearn said. “The fighters at the top end are going to be fine, but the fighters coming through, small-hall fighters, ones starting their careers or those who do not have a sponsorship deal, face big concerns. They will have to give up the sport of boxing and get a job, and that’s heartbreaking for someone trying to live their dreams.”
Photo: Reuters
The British Boxing Board of Control on Monday said that it had extended a ban on all events under its jurisdiction until the end of next month, while this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games, which many amateurs use as a platform before turning professional, look likely to be postponed a year.
“Look at the Olympics — these people have grafted for four years to achieve their dream and fight in Tokyo,” Hearn said. “There’s no chance of these Olympics taking place, so what are they going to do? Everything is going to be a complete reshuffle of every sport.”
Joshua, the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion, is due to fight Bulgarian IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in June, but that fight could slip to July or later while everything is still up in the air.
Hearn, who has canceled or rescheduled a number of other fights with no certainty of those happening, said boxing would survive, but the same could not be said for all the promoters and businesses.
“If you don’t run a sustainable business, very quickly this is going to unfold on you like a ton of bricks,” he said.
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
RSS