Promoter Eddie Hearn is concerned about the escalating situation with the coronavirus throughout the world.

Sporting events and other functions are being canceled in countries highly impacted by the coronavirus - and some countries less affected are canceling public events for precautionary purposes.

Hearn's company, Matchroom Sport, has already canceled two events in Italy - because all sporting events are currently suspended as the local government fights to contain the spread of the virus.

At the moment there are no plans to cancel any shows in the UK.

He says the possibility of staging closed door shows is not an option - as the crowd is a certain necessity for the fighters and broadcasters involved.

"The crowd is very important to boxing occasions," Hearn told BBC Sport Wales.

Hearn says boxing, unlike football, could not provide the requisite entertainment levels without fans in attendance and is concerned boxers will be left worrying about finances if events are called off.

"Boxing is very different to a game of football, doing it behind closed doors? Not really, fighters need that noise and the adrenaline to peak, the crowd is very important to those occasions. Fingers crossed, we don't think that [cancelling events] is on the horizon just yet, it is up to the government to think about safety, which is paramount.

"But we've also got to think about these fighters, they've got to go out and earn their money, provide for their families. When you miss a fight date, it isn't as simple as just fighting the next week. Sometimes you circle three or four months waiting for a new date... we have a lot of events lined up in arenas that will be full up.

"Fighters train for months, making weight is hard, these guys aren't going to work every day, they get paid on one night and if you lose that it is a major, major blow for them and their families and livelihoods. Public safety is absolutely paramount, but we want to be putting on these shows, so hopefully the government can do the right job containing it and we get over it as soon as possible."

"We wait and see really. We had a meeting yesterday with the government, it was for rights' holders to talk about precautions and implications as to what might happen in the future. Touch wood, it doesn't seem like that [calling off events] is imminent, it is controlled, but obviously if it gets to the level of Italy, which is scary, [it will be]. We have cancelled two events in Italy because of coronavirus, but we hope it won't affect live events here... we want to keep filling arenas."