The suspension on boxing in the UK has been extended until the end of April.
Britain’s governing body, the British Boxing Board of Control, announced an immediate suspension last week following the government's advice to avoid "non-essential' contact and were due to review the situation next month.
But the Board released another statement on Monday, announcing that any tournaments under its jurisdiction will not be able to happen until the back end of next month as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take hold of the sporting world.
"Following further Government and Medical Authorities advice, the British Boxing Board of Control has decided that the suspension of Boxing Tournaments under the BBBofC jurisdiction remains in place until the end of April when further consideration will be given,” they said in their latest communication. "We will continue to follow the Government and the Medical Authorities advice and keep the situation under review.
"The BBBofC would like to emphasise our thoughts are with everyone affected by COVID-19.”
Frank Warren has pushed back his big five-belt heavyweight clash between Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce as a result of the crisis. It had been set to happen on
April 11 at the O2 Arena in London, exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office, but the main event, plus the undercard, has now been rescheduled for July 11 at the same venue.
Josh Taylor’s return, in an IBF, WBA and Ring Magazine super-lightweight world title mandatory defence against Thailand’s Apinun Khongsong, was scheduled for May 2 at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland and that will be rearranged as Warren works in conjunction with Top Rank and MTK Global, while Warren’s promotional rival Eddie Hearn has decided to move his Newcastle card and postpone his Doncaster card.
Lewis Ritson will meet Miguel Vazquez at the Utilita Arena, with Savannah Marshall challenging for the WBO female light-heavyweight title against Geovana Peres, but that has been pushed back to June 27, while a new date is awaited for Natasha Jonas’ WBC and IBO female super-featherweight title challenge against Terri Harper at the Doncaster Dome having originally been scheduled for April 24.
As it stands, Dillian Whyte’s WBC interim heavyweight title defence against Alexander Povetkin on May 2 at Manchester Arena still goes ahead with a stellar supporting cast including Callum Johnson’s clash against Igor Mikhalkin for the vacant European light-heavyweight title, Katie Taylor’s defence of her WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine world female lightweight titles against former seven-weight world champion Amanda Serrano and the return of Zelfa Barrett, the new Matchroom Boxing signing who currently holds the Commonwealth super-featherweight title, while the O2 Arena clash on May 23 between Oleksandr Usyk and Derek Chisora is still on.
While Hearn has gone on record as saying that contingency plans are in place should his May events have to be moved, a plethora of other events that were planned for April and May have also had to be canned.
Further details regarding coronavirus and boxing will be revealed in due course.