Boxing promoters may go out of business due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to British boxing bosses.
Up until July, when it’s hoped a comeback can be fashioned at private events, the sport is suspended in the UK.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) expects “casualties” and has “concerns” about promoters who present shows without receiving television revenue.
The board has also provided clarification on a proposed rule that would prohibit the use of spit buckets when boxing returns.
“No spitting from boxers when in corners” was a line that the BBBofC included in a consultation document that was sent to promoters last week.
The statement caused some confusion among participants in the sport, and new guidelines have been provided in a document that has been sent to license holders and seen by BBC Sport.
Every boxer on a fight card is required to have a “spittoon bucket” that is “covered with a lid” in between rounds, according to the document.
Every round and after use, the outside of the bucket needs to be cleaned and bleached by someone donning a face mask, goggles, a long-sleeved gown that repels fluid, and disposable gloves.
Event planners must also make sure that the canvas, ring ropes, and steps are cleaned “to a medical standard” in between every fight on any card when boxing returns.
When the sport returns, cards will be limited to five fights, according to previous statements made by the BBBofC.
According to BBBofC general secretary Robert Smith, “we have to keep things as sterile as possible” on the 5 Live Boxing Podcast.
“What we were really saying is – as you know if you’ve been to boxing and see boxers spitting on the canvas – we are the same as other sports like football, where they are being discouraged from spitting during the action.”
