Top Rank CEO Bob Arum says he'll look into Florida events after state deems sports an 'essential service'
WWE’s insistence on being an “essential service” amid the coronavirus pandemic has opened the door for sports in Florida, and one major name is already thinking about jumping in.
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Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told ESPN on Tuesday that he is looking into possibly scheduling boxing matches in Florida this summer after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis deemed all sports and entertainment permissible with proper precautions in the state.
Arum reportedly said he would ask WWE to use its facilities, such as its Performance Center in Orlando.
From ESPN:
"It's very, very interesting, and we're going to be in touch with them. There's a possibility to use their facility to maybe do events without a crowd," Arum said Tuesday.
While Arum reportedly conceded that boxing matches will have to initially be held without spectators, he said he is “very optimistic” that his promotion will be doing fights with audiences by the end of the year. Experts disagree.
Arum also added that he will want to hold off on that treatment with bigger fights — such as the trilogy match between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder — because of the money lost without crowds:
As for the bigger fights, which would be expected to draw significant crowds, Arum said, "Those are either going to have to wait 'til you have spectators, or if the fighters get antsy, they will have to deal with an adjustment in their purses because you will have cut off an important revenue source from the event.
"For example, [Tyson] Fury and [Deontay] Wilder, the gate was close to $17 million, and that's from the public buying tickets to the fight," he said. "How do you replace that? Well, if you don't replace it -- then somebody has to eat that."
Who else will hold sporting events in Florida?
If Top Rank goes ahead with matches in Florida, it’s hard to see how some other sports — especially the UFC — don’t follow despite the risks of holding events even without crowds. Between fighters, trainers, referees, judges, television crews and other support staff, such events will still feature dozens in attendance.
UFC president Dana White has fought hard to hold events despite the coronavirus crisis, going as far as claiming to have secured a private island and renting an arena on tribal land. He almost went ahead with UFC 249 on April 18, until broadcast partner ESPN stepped in and nixed the plan.
DeSantis has been particularly loose with coronavirus mandates during the pandemic, waiting until April to issue a stay-at-home order in a state with a high number of elderly residents and allowing for notable exceptions. The exception created for WWE after a conversation with DeSantis feels particularly loose:
According to the memo sent by the governor's office last Thursday, recent additions to the list of "essential services" in the state include "employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience -- including any athletes, entertainers, production team, executive team, media team and any others necessary to facilitate including services supporting such production -- only if the location is closed to the general public."
A spokesperson from DeSantis' office told ESPN on Monday that such services were characterized as essential "because they are critical to Florida's economy."
As of Tuesday, Florida ranks ninth in the country in positive COVID-19 tests with 20,601, and 483 deaths.
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