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LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 14: Terence Crawford and Bob Arum post fight after his victory over Kell Brook for the WBO welterweight title at the MGM Grand Conference Center on November 14, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 14: Terence Crawford and Bob Arum post fight after his victory over Kell Brook for the WBO welterweight title at the MGM Grand Conference Center on November 14, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
Top Rank’s Bob Arum has given fans an explanation for the lack of high-profile fights at the beginning of the year. The promoter gave a timeline for when fans can expect exciting fights. He even credited his rival promoters.
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Boxing fans enjoyed an exciting end to 2020, with many big names returning after the COVID-19 shutdown. However, fans were absent for most of these events, and they had to rely on PPV. As a result, financing fights became a big issue.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 14: Boxing promoter Frank Warren (L) and Top Rank Founder and CEO Bob Arum attend the ceremonial weigh-in for the Tyson Fury and Tom Schwarz fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fury and Schwarz will meet in a heavyweight bout on June 15 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Speaking exclusively to The Ring, Arum explained the situation. “Nobody is stupid, Oscar’s not, Haymon, Eddie’s not stupid, all of them are slow walking because we got to get robust spectators,” said Arum.
He then confirmed that without the ability to sell-out arenas, we will see fewer fights from March to May. However, he confirmed they would follow the ESPN way and look to set up the big events in June, July, and August.
Despite this explanation from Arum, there is still a significant amount of boxing for fans to enjoy during these months. Matchroom released their list of events for the next few months. Moreover, the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Vergil Ortiz Jr, and other high-profile fighters will also return to the ring.
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Why is Bob Arum explaining the situation to fans?
Despite several high-profile fighters returning to the ring towards the end of 2020, there were also many absentees. Moreover, the fights that took place were not as lucrative as promoters expected. Arum himself was at the forefront of controversy.
After Terence Crawford’s fight against Kell Brook, Arum gave a surprising interview where he claimed he was losing money promoting Crawford’s fight. He claimed the fights didn’t sell enough to cover the costs of the event.
Tyson Fury also missed out on a return, as Frank Warren could not finance his homecoming fight. Thus, the monetary issue was a serious problem when the sport returned. Because of this, Arum has now warned fans they will have to compromise for the next few months.
What do you make of these comments from Bob Arum? Do you think the promoters could do more to stage the big fights?
