Top Rank supremo, Bob Arum, spoke to ESPN’s Joe Tessitore about how boxing can return following the coronavirus crisis. He hoped boxing could be back in June, and laid out the type of circumstances which could ensure safety at televised bouts without a live audience.
He also spoke about Tyson Fury Vs Deontay Wilder 3.
Bob Arum chats with Joe Tessitore about when fans can expect live, televised boxing to return, the hurdles that Top Rank will have to overcome and how the travel bans will affect the trilogy fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
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One of the interesting factors mentioned in this interview came towards the end, where Arum explained that the live gate from Wilder v Fury 2 was $17 million, and explains that this is revenue they could not miss out on in a future bout. That said, the world has changed for Covid-19 lockdown: a PPV right now between these two would be an immense draw, and would likely be the biggest ever, purely because there is no other sport happening.
It’s important to remember that PPV revenue takes some time to be distributed. The up front costs of putting a fight on are helped a large degree by gate receipts.
However, because of travel bans in place, the issue won’t be getting boxing on, with relatively few participants – two fighters, a referee, three judges, medical staff, maybe some commentators – it will be getting international world level boxers into the country of the fight, and quarantining them there potentially for a full camp.
These are challenges boxing will likely need to address, in order to stage the biggest and best fights.
Which fight would you most like to see when boxing returns? Leave a comment below. We can talk boxing while we await it’s return.
