Eye of the Tiger Management head Camille Estephan is stuck playing the waiting game caused by Covid-19.

The Canadian-based promoter is pounding the table with hopes of producing boxing shows in Quebec, but his demands seem to be falling on deaf ears.

Estephan said if Quebec doesn’t deconfine very soon, he’ll be producing at least three shows between August and November outside of Quebec in places like Europe, the Middle East or Western Canada.

“We’re talking to the government in Quebec to deconfine boxing and most sports sectors,” Estephan told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “We’re lobbying with the government right now, showing how boxing is back in the United States. It’s time to get it moving. Hopefully, we will get there. It’s been a really frustrating process, to be honest.

“We had more Covid-19 cases in Quebec than anywhere else in Canada. There was panic around the dangerous virus. But there is prejudice against the sport because we’ve sent the government a protocol for thorough testing that will not increase the spread of the virus. Fighters can’t spread the virus if they don’t have it. We’re trying to clear the prejudice, but if they don’t deconfine soon, I am willing to go on the road. I thought we’d be deconfined by now.”

Estephan promotes fighters like David Lemieux, Erik Bazinyan, Arslanbek Makhmudov, Yves Ulysse Jr., Artem Oganesyan, Steven Butler and Batyrzhan Jukembayev.

He has already staged around 50 events, and he wants to keep the show going, especially for the subscription platform Punching Grace of which he runs.

“We need to give our fans some action,” said Estephan. “We have top-notch, up-and-comers, and they have to fight. Inactivity is the worst thing for a fighter.”

Estephan will also be looking to work with Golden Boy, as Oscar De La Hoya serves as a co-promoter for a handful of EOTM’s fighters like Lemieux, Bazinyan and Makhmudov, among others.

“We will coordinate with [Golden Boy] to make sure our guys are fighting,” said Estephan.

Estephan said embryonic discussions have taken place between a potential fight between Lemieux and Canelo Alvarez, but not much else has developed since then as the Mexican great looks to secure his next date.

Estephan wants to kickstart his slate of shows with Lexson Mathieu (8-0, 7 KOs). The  21-year-old super middleweight was in line for a shot at the NABF title, and was supposed to fight in March before his card was scrapped altogether due to coronavirus.

“We need to have done at least one show by mid-August,” said Estephan. “We have to move fast. We have so many fighters who are high in the sanctioning body rankings and close to world title fights. They need to fight.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the LA Times, Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com.