The show will still go in Central Florida, as it relates to televised boxing.
Growing concerns have emerged of the upcoming boxing scheduled throughout the United States, particularly in the Sunshine State which has rapidly emerged as the epicenter of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Such issues are strongly taken into consideration on a daily basis by the team behind the Boxeo Telemundo boxing series, which remains on course for its summer season launch beginning August 14.
All four shows—August 14, 21 and 28 and September 4—will take place at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida. The venue has long served as a series favorite, often playing to packed crowds although that won’t at all be the case for upcoming events.
It comes in stark contrast to shows in other parts of the state that were take place with fans in attendance. Mandated stay-home orders in Miami-Dade County have already shut down several shows as a result. However, a closed environment was always the plan for the Telemundo summer series from the moment the team was granted clearance to proceed.
“Only essential personnel will be allowed onsite,” Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala Jr., head of All-Star Boxing confirmed to BoxingScene.com. “No fans are permitted, no extra team members or boxer entourages, no media, nobody except the boxers themselves, their immediate cornermen and the minimum number of Florida (boxing) commission members and our promotional team.
“Safety remains the highest priority. It’s why we canceled our four extra shows (in May) and didn’t want to announce this season until we were 100% sure that all precautions were being taken to ensure a smooth process.”
The series traditionally transitions from Central Florida to Mexico City within each season, with the 2020 debut marking the long-awaited return to Miami.
However, those plans were quickly discarded with the focus squarely on minimizing the risk of contracting the infectious disease. That decision came after three months of intense planning with state governing officials to ensure the series could move forward without interruption.
The blueprint was provided in late April, when Governor Ron DeSantis—who has come under fire for his mishandling of guarding against the spread of COVID in state—permitted World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to stage a Pay-Per-View event behind closed doors in Central Florida. From there came several shows staged by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in Jacksonville this past May, along with a trickle of boxing club shows in late June.
At no point was All-Star Boxing struck by the temptation to dive in head first solely for the sake of staging a boxing event.
“My father is vulnerable to this virus by even asymptomatic folks,” noted Zabala, whose father Felix Sr. founded the company and led the Boxeo Telemundo charge in 1989. “He’s the reason why I am in the boxing business. I would never jeopardize his health, nor anyone else’s for that matter.
“That’s why we didn’t even think about opening the doors to the public for the next four shows. As much as we always appreciate the fans supporting our shows for decades, it’s just safer for everyone to move forward this way.”
The full lineup is still being assembled for the series. Among the boxers confirmed to appear are : Colombian flyweight prospect Jose Soto, Mexico’s Antonio Moran; and former bantamweight title challenger Ricardo “Hindu” Espinoza.
All participants are mandated to submit to full health screenings in accordance with commission testing protocol. Social distancing measures must be honored at all times, along with all participants required to remain onsite from the moment they arrive until after fight night.
While the energy of a live crowd—a longtime staple of the longest current running Spanish-speaking boxing television series—will be missed, efforts are still being made to replicate that experience for home televised viewers.
“It will be just like the series has always been, except without fans,” notes Zabala, whose team is working on a simulated version. “We have been working with local government officials and the local tourism council, Experience Kissimmee to be able to launch the new Boxeo Telemundo LIVE concept.”
The last installment of Boxeo Telemundo aired live on March 13 in Mexico City, at the time marking the last event with fans in attendance to air on a U.S. network prior to the pandemic outbreak. The show completed the first season of 2020, which was due to have four extra shows this year only for those events to give way to the ongoing global health crisis.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
