Bob Arum outlines his vision for live boxing throughout the year

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum discusses boxing’s future. 

Top Rank is bringing live boxing back to television. Shakur Stevenson tests the waters at super featherweight against Felix Caraballo on Tuesday, June 9, on ESPN and ESPN Deportes starting at 7 p.m. ET. While on a media call for Stevenson vs. Caraballo, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum provided many details about safety protocols and the future of boxing.

Arum started the conference call with an optimistic message about boxing’s future.

“Boxing is going to come back. Believe me, bigger and more important than ever,” said Arum.

He also drove the point home that preparing for live boxing has been a monumental challenge. Arum provided insight into how much work is going on behind the scenes to ensure that safety is the priority.

“This is something nobody, at least on our end, has any experience with,” commented Arum. “It’s really been a work in progress and continues to be a work in progress. Imagine guys come into Vegas to get into the bubble, which is a special floor at the MGM. They got to be tested. They’re in the bubble. They got to be escorted to a place to shake out and train, a place to eat. We have a special dining room set up in the convention center. All of this is something that none of us is used to.”

Although Stevenson is the WBO featherweight champion, this bout is in a higher division and a non-title match. Arum stated that he thinks title fights will occur somewhere in the third week of boxing events for Top Rank.

Arum got everybody’s attention when he quoted the pricetag for testing athletes and their staff for coronavirus.

“For example, testing, just the testing for coronavirus for each event, will cost in excess of $25,000,” said Arum. “Just the testing. Plus, the rooms, the special security, the meals, and the convention area. This is a very, very large undertaking, but obviously, it has to be done. We got to get boxing started up.”

Arum added, “We’re going to be doing this for perhaps for three months. For June and July definitely and then in August. Hopefully, by September, we’re gonna start getting back to doing events with spectators with a limited capacity. That’s our second phase that we’re working on. And the third phase by the end of the year, we’ll be doing events with virtually full capacity, but that’s down the line.”

With travel to and from many countries blocked due to the pandemic, it’s going to be hard for promoters to bring fighters together internationally. Australia’s Moloney brothers, Jason and Andrew, were admitted to the U.S. and have fights slated for June 23 and 25 under the Top Rank banner.

Arum said he couldn’t take credit for them being admitted to the U.S. and that it’s up to fighters to make travel to the U.S. possible.

“As far as fighters outside of the United States, there’s a limit to what we can do,” said Arum. “We don’t fly the planes. I have no influence with this Whitehouse, thank God, as to lifting travel bans, but where there’s a will there’s a way.

“This is really out of our hands now. Every fighter that wants to come over and wants to participate in these shows and continue with their career has to find. way to do that on their own with their advisors. We’ll facilitate anything we can, but our power is greatly limited.”

Arum’s vision for boxing’s future is ambitious, but hopefully, the world is in a place towards the end of 2020 where there’s a return to normalcy. That’s a long time away, but Arum and Top Rank are getting the ball rolling with live televised boxing in June.