It was only three weeks ago that Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev was held in front of a small portion of fans at The SSE Arena in London. But due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 throughout the United Kingdom, boxing is once again on pause.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) announced on Monday that all events are off the table this month.
“Following the increase in Covid-19 cases in the United Kingdom and the effects such increases have on the NHS and the work of the Board Medical Officers, it has been decided that no tournaments under the jurisdiction of the British Boxing Board of Control will take place in January 2021,” the statement read.
“A further review by the Board’s Medical Panel and Stewards will take place later in January in relation to tournaments from February onwards.”
The most notable domestic boxing match scheduled was a January 30th fight between welterweight prospect Josh Kelly and David Avanesyan, which will be pushed back to a later date.
The United Kingdom is at the center of a new, more infectious strain of the virus that has resulted in a sharp rise in active COVID-19 cases, including a recent daily high of over 57,000 this past Saturday.
There’s no word on how new government restrictions — Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered another nationwide lockdown — will impact other combat sports in the UK moving forward.
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