San Francisco boxing card scrapped, headed to small Las Vegas venue
Jun 8, 2026 • 6:26 PM ET
Lucas Ketelle / BoxingSceneOnce touted as a global boxing showcase capable of drawing more than 100,000 spectators to the streets of San Francisco, the iVB boxing event is being scrapped for the Bay Area with vastly shrunken eyes on moving to a 2,500-seat Las Vegas venue.
Lead promoter Sampson Lewkowicz told BoxingScene Monday that logistical problems connected to fulfilling plans for hosting a public outdoor audience at the San Francisco Civic Center July 11 are chiefly responsible for the cancellation.
Lewkowicz said the boxing card, headlined by WBO flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga defending his belt against Andy Dominguez, will still occur in July as he shops venues.
The outdoor plan proposed by iVB head Ed Pereira seemed overly ambitious from the outset even as it included the support of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
The permit process of securing such an event was extensive, and the San Francisco Chronicle first reported the production company involved in the event, Silverback, withdrew.
Silverback, which produces the popular Bay to Breakers run, was “genuinely excited” about the boxing event, CEO Kyle Meyers told The Chronicle.
iVB Boxing didn’t mention reported financial issues also contributing to the cancellation, posting it was “due to growing logistical concerns … full refunds will be made to all that purchased tickets.”
Tickets ranged from $60 to $600.
Mayor Lurie said he’s turning his attention to this month’s World Cup games in the city.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
