No fights, no pay – boxers hit by coronavirus impact

Sylvester Stallone’s training run through Philadelphia in Rocky II would have totalled over 30 miles - somewhat more than most in Britain will manage in their one hour of outdoor exercise, writes Matthew Verri.

There’s likely to be fewer steps, and less of a crowd following behind, but for boxers a return to the more basic, traditional methods of training are non-negotiable.

Callum Johnson was due to fight for the European title on the Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin undercard in May, with that show now provisionally rescheduled to July 4th.

However, while Johnson has turned his garage into a gym to maintain his fitness, he insists he will not be pushed into fighting too soon.

“I’ve not fought in over a year because of injury, so I need to fight for financial reasons,” he said.

“But I’m not going to fight underprepared for a few quid - it’s not the sensible thing to do.

“People say shows can just go behind closed doors and in studios, but fighters still need to train.

“We can’t go to gyms, we can’t spar, and we can’t do pad work with our trainers, so it’s impossible to do anything properly.

“There was no way the May date could have happened – you can’t prepare for a 12 round title fight by yourself in a garage.”

The rescheduling of shows is unlikely to financially impact the likes of Anthony Joshua, whose fight against Kubrat Pulev in June has been postponed.

He has seen just under eight million pay-per-view buys across his last six Sky Box Office shows but for those lower down fight night cards, the inactivity is a frightening prospect.

Sam Cox was due to fight on 7th March at York Hall, ideally timed a week before his sister’s wedding, but took the opportunity of fighting on 28th March at the 02, only for that show to be cancelled.

“All in all, I’ve probably lost about £7,000 in the last two months,” Cox revealed.

“I would have made more money fighting at York Hall as it’s my promoter’s show, but at the 02 even if you earn less it’s a huge platform. I probably only would have just about made any money – my camp cost over £2,000.

“I also left a coaching job I had to focus on the fight, which obviously hasn’t come off. It’s not been a great start to the year at all.

It has been a difficult time for Cox, so used to rigid routine, and one made even more painful by the timing of the cancellation.

“I’m a proper worrier anyway, so this for me is hell,” he admitted.

“Normally I wake up panicking about what time I need to get to the gym and what I need to eat.”

“I asked my sister if it was ok for me to fight after her wedding rather than the week before as planned – she said I was mental to even ask and I had to take the massive opportunity.

“At her wedding people were telling me the fight would be cancelled, but you never know – the fight could have happened behind closed doors, and I had to be ready.

“I didn’t drink, I didn’t enjoy myself, I didn’t eat. Two days later, I found out the fight was cancelled.”

For Chris Billam-Smith, whose defence of the Commonwealth cruiserweight belt has been pushed back to July, the uncertainty extends out of the ring as well.

“I’m supposed to be getting married on 8th August in Italy because that’s when boxing usually takes a break,” he said.

“Even if we can afford it and are allowed out there, it would be an unneeded expense for our friends and family so it’s 99% going to be cancelled unless a miracle happens.”

The 29-year-old, like many of his fellow fighters, is faced with a challenge he can do little about.

“If we don’t fight, we don’t get paid - I haven’t been paid since November, so it’s a big struggle at the moment,” Billam-Smith said.

“We were in the process of looking for sponsors for me, but that’s been put on hold because we don’t want to be the type to try and get money off people when everyone has been hit so badly.

“It’s a really strange time. I knew the May fight wasn’t going to happen and I’m still dubious the show in July will, but I’ve got to train as though everything is going ahead.”