Wuhan coronavirus: Top Rank postpones China boxing debut owing to concerns over outbreak
- Promotion CEO Bob Arum: ‘health and safety is the most important thing’
- Headliner Viktor Postol arrives in China hours before the announcement as officials scramble to send him back to the US
Top Rank has officially postponed its China “Super Bouts” boxing event debut owing to ongoing concerns over the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
The event – headlined by world champion Jose Carlos Ramirez’s title defence against Viktor Postol – was scheduled for February 1 at Mission Hills Haikou in Hainan province.
“The health and safety of our fighters and everyone working on the event is the most important thing,” the promotion’s chairman Bob Arum said in a statement posted to its official Instagram account. “We hope the situation is brought under control soon. We look forward to staging events at Mission Hills Haikou in the very near future.”
The post added that the bout would be “contested at a date and venue to be determined”.
Ukrainian contender Postol arrived in Haikou around six hours before the decision, while American light welterweight champion Ramirez’ previous flight to China was cancelled because of the virus, Yahoo! Sports reported.