National, local boxing events canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak

Similar to the country’s professional sports leagues and college athletics, professional boxing has shut down in the wake of the coronavirus.

Nationally televised fights scheduled for Saturday night in New York and Oxon Hill, Maryland, were canceled shortly after the NBA, NHL and MLS suspended their seasons late last week in light of the World Health Organization declaring the virus a global pandemic. Major League Baseball canceled the remainder of spring training and will delay the regular season two weeks before reassessing its next steps.

The New York fight card at the Hulu Theater inside Madison Square Garden featured 2016 U.S. Olympian Shakur Stevenson making the first defense of his featherweight title against Miguel Marriaga.

In the aftermath of leagues suspending their seasons, Top Rank, Stevenson’s and the card’s promoter, originally planned to present the Stevenson-Marriaga fight and ESPN telecast in an empty arena. But late Thursday, the event and another Top Rank show at the Hulu Theater on Tuesday, headlined by 2016 Irish Olympian Michael Conlan, were canceled.

“After close consultation with the New York State Athletic Commission it has been determined that Saturday’s and Tuesday’s events cannot proceed in light of the ongoing Coronavirus crisis,” read a statement from Top Rank. “The health and safety of the fighters and their teams and everyone involved in the promotion of these events necessitated taking this step.”

Fox Sports 1 planned to telecast the card from the MGM Grand Harbor in Maryland showcasing former junior-middleweight contender James Kirkland. But the show was canceled without considering the event in an empty facility.

California, one of busiest states for boxing and other combat sports, will suspend all events through the end of March. Among the events postponed were two boxing cards presented by Golden Boy Promotions on Thursday and March 28.

“The health and safety of our fighters, fans, employees, officials and partners is of the utmost importance to us, and we thank them for their support and understanding during this time,” Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya said in a statement. “We will communicate further plans when the time is appropriate.”

The majority of the eight U.S. boxing shows scheduled over the weekend were canceled, including a card at the Manuel Artime Theater in Little Havana on Friday night. According to manager Osmiri Fernandez, husband of the card’s promoter Laura Ching, organizers of the event were informed by officials from the City of Miami-owned facility of the cancellation early Friday morning.

“We had completed all the preparations — finalized contracts, press conferences, the weigh-in on Thursday — when we got word that the show was canceled,” Fernandez said. “This is like a cold bucket of water thrown at you but understandable because of the precautions that need to be taken.”

Fernandez said fighters scheduled to participate in the 12-bout card were disappointed yet comprehended why the show was scrapped. The promotional company plans to present its next show at Manuel Artime on May 8, and Fernandez said fans who purchased tickets for Friday’s canceled event have the option redeeming them in the new date. Fernandez also spent Saturday on the telephone with fans who opted for refunds.

Another card that faces uncertainty is Friday’s show at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale. Promoter Blake Davis, who also will fight in the main event, said he has been in contact with Gulfstream officials and a final decision on the show’s fate will be made Monday.

“There are two options — do the show without spectators or cancel it entirely,” Davis said. “If we proceed with the show, we will offer it on pay-per-view through a streaming service. Everyone who bought tickets to attend the card will be refunded.”

If Friday’s card is off, Davis said his next scheduled show at Gulfstream will be on May 23. “We did our first show at Gulfstream January 17th and it was a complete success,” Davis said. “The venue is perfectly designed to accommodate 900 to 1,000 fans. It is the perfect club-show setting.”

The immediate impact of cancellations was felt over the weekend yet a card without spectators and televised by Showtime was presented Friday night in Hinckley, Minnesota. Super-lightweight Brandun Lee scored a third-round technical knockout over Miami resident Camilo Prieto in the show’s main event.

Spanish-language Telemundo also televised a show from Mexico City on Friday night. The show promoted by Miami-based All-Star Boxing featured spectators.

“We were not imposed a limit on crowd count,” said All-Star president Felix “Tutico” Zabala. “The public was into the event as if nothing was happening. Nobody was talking about coronavirus and instead enjoyed a night of boxing.”