COSMOPOLITAN, LAS VEGAS - Top Rank Inc. has big plans for 2020. The Las Vegas based promotional outfit is armed with 30 dates on different ESPN platforms and as first reported by The Athletic, plans on taking about a third of them outside of the United States.
BoxingScene.com and a small group of reporters caught up with Top Rank CEO Bob Arum to discuss his plans for their international fights in the upcoming year.
"The market for boxing around the world is huge and we have 30 dates to fulfill for ESPN and ESPN+ so I would like at least 10 of them to be overseas," Arum stated.
WBC/WBO super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez's February 1st defense against mandatory challenger Viktor Postol has already been announced and Arum also discussed some other fights they are looking to do in the first half of 2020.
"As you mentioned Ramirez is fighting in China. If (Carl) Frampton is successful hopefully Frampton and (WBO super featherweight champion Jamel) Herring will fight in Belfast. Shakur (Stevenson) we are looking to make with (IBF featherweight champion Josh) Warrington and that fight would take place in England, so yeah. Kazakhstan wants fights. Chechnya wants fights so yeah, we are poised and ready to get on planes and put fights wherever," Arum revealed.
As for the reasoning behind moving fights outside of the United States, Arum said that it is more than just other countries having a strong appetite for the sport. He believes that fights that would be considered to just be good match ups here would be major events in other countries.
"It is more than just that. When you have a fight here in the United States in Las Vegas or New York - they are used to big fights so it is not a particularly huge event but it is a good fight. But it is not like when you bring the fight overseas where it is a special event. Doing it as a special event the interest and money is increased," Arum told BoxingScene.com.
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