Reviving Boxing in the Philippines Under the Covid 19 New Normal
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 27 Apr 2020
Over the weekend, attempts have been made in Nicaragua and South Korea to revive the staging of professional boxing bouts under the limitations and restrictions being enforced to address the current Covid-19 pandemic.
The fights in Managua held in an arena saw those in attendance, except the boxers wearing face mask with the sparse crowd seated apart from one another in line with the physical distancing regulation. The correspondent from the Ring Magazine who covered the bouts also wore a face mask while interviewing the boxers after their fights.
It was not a good sight, if you ask me.
The fight in South Korea on the other hand appeared to be held inside a gym and from some indications was meant to be shown primarily on television given the focus on the action atop the ring and the absence of shots showing a live audience, if ever there was any, apart from the organizers and the fighters corners.
I find it comparatively a better viewing than that of in Nicaragua.
Significantly, those two experimentation could serve as templates for our local boxing authorities, players and stakeholders should the opportunity for the return of boxing action here in our country comes notwithstanding the still ongoing Covid crisis.
In fact, promoters should even take this as an opportunity to truly raise the profile and commercial potentials of local boxing by endeavoring to get sponsors to put it regularly on television, including cable TV given that boxing fans would prefer to watch fights in the safety and relative comfort of their homes than risk getting infected outside. To add that in most urban areas, the movement or travel restrictions have remained in force.
I am sure Filipino boxing fans are craving for live boxing fights to watch by now given their extended home restriction has limited them to watching reruns as dated as decades ago. And given that the US and other major boxing countries are yet to figure how to restart the sport there, most likely, no big foreign fight cards could be aired or streamed live or on delayed basis in the near foreseeable future time.
Local promoters should therefore step up to fill the vacuum.
They can even combine the Nicaragua and South Korean experimentation for greater effect and maximum potential income. They can have a fight with limited live paying arena audience and have the bouts also aired live or as live on TV and cable TV under commercial sponsorship or paid broadcasting rights.
As one who covered the boxing event for its entire duration during the last Southeast Asian Games at the PICC Pavillions last December, I think organizers can adopt the physical setup and arrangement as implemented by the PHISGOC and the ABAP during that competition.
During fights, the only people in and around the ring were the boxers, the referee and their corners plus the television crew. The judges of course were situated strategically in various points proximate to the ring. But other people connected to the event like the organizers and sanctioning officials were seated nearly ten meters away. The other media representatives were situated in their restricted area some fifteen meters away while the live crowd were seated in an elevated area separated by a walkway where fighters had their entrance from their dressing rooms before each bout.
I think such set up with extra provisions for wearing of face mask and physical distancing would be ideal if we are to revive the staging of live arena boxing anytime soon.
Who knows, this could be a great opportunity to ramp up our domestic boxing industry.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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