Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images
UFC President Dana White recently told the combat sports media that he didn’t need a live gate to promote MMA fights, which is probably because he gets $750 million from ESPN regardless of whether the event takes place in a close studio or packed arena.
Fossilized fight promoter Bob Arum, however, is not ready to part ways with boxing fans just yet. Not because he loves mingling with the “sweet science” audience, but rather because the Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder rematch returned a $17 million gate.
And could far surpass that number for their upcoming trilogy.
“Bob Arum told [Sports Illustrated] he informed Tyson Fury that a third fight between Fury and Deontay Wilder would not take place until November-December at the earliest,” reporter Chris Mannix wrote on Twitter.
Fury and Wilder battled to a draw in a dramatic fight back in late 2018. “The Gypsy King” went on to stop “The Bronze Bomber” in their Feb. 2020 rematch and contracts were already in place for a trilogy fight this July in Las Vegas.
Then came the coronavirus and just like every other major sport, boxing was benched for the foreseeable future.
See you in December?