Hearn is 72 but, in keeping with government guidelines, those over 70 or with health conditions are not supposed to attend fights
Barry Hearn has insisted that the new British Boxing Board of Control protocols will not stop him from attending next month’s events at Matchroom HQ – his former home – in Brentwood, Essex, in spite of being over 70 and having had a heart procedure during lockdown.
The board has issued operational procedures agreed with promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn for behind-closed-doors tournaments for the first time since the lockdown.
Boxing will return with an event promoted by Warren at BT Sport studios in Stratford on July 10.
Brad Foster tops the bill against James Beech Jnr for the British and Commonwealth super-bantamweight titles in the first event in the first show staged in the UK since early March. Eddie Hearn will bring the sport to Brentwood – outdoors – from July 25, for four weeks.
Barry Hearn, who was 72 on Friday, has told Telegraph Sport: “I’ll be having a discussion with the Boxing Board. I can’t see how they can ban me from the company I control and the property I own.
“I don’t agree with ageism, and we need to know what the reason is for blanket rules such as this. It’s a dangerous precedent. It looks as if we will go back to crowds in not very long and, in a month’s time, we could have a completely changed landscape. In my dotage, I don’t want to miss an event, so if it means I’m there on a veranda, I’ll be watching.”
The board says in the document, seen by Telegraph Sport, that the protocols “should significantly reduce the chance of Covid-19 infections at tournaments” with the burden on promoters to deliver the fight nights under the restrictive guidelines.
The testing process will remain the responsibility of the event promoter. Boxers must clinically dispose of their gloves and hand wraps after each fight but can use spittoon buckets between rounds when they return to action next month.
All but the boxers will have to wear PPE equipment, the ring will be cleaned between rounds, with a 20-minute hiatus between contests, referees being asked to change attire between fights and shower. Warren said that around 50 essential staff would take part, while Eddie Hearn’s outdoor events may require up to 80 staff.
In keeping with government guidelines, those over 70 or with serious health conditions are not supposed to attend.
Warren is 68, and if he tests negative for Covid-19, will be able to attend the indoor event.
As the BBBC document explains: “There is no mechanism to ensure professional boxing in the United Kingdom is 100 per cent free from Covid-19 infection. However, the guidance outlined in this document should significantly reduce the chance of Covid-19 infection at tournaments licensed by the British Boxing Board of Control.”
The document “will be reviewed again at the start of August 2020”, said general secretary Robert Smith, insisting that “boxing’s return due to coronavirus will be an ongoing and monitored process”.
“It is quite possible that things will change week to week, month to month,” added Smith. “We are meeting as a senior group on a regular basis, with all our doctors under the guidance of chief medical officer Ashwin Patel.”
Only essential attendees can attend the events, with the BBBC to be notified seven days in advance of the exact number, including licence holders, Board officials, medical officers, paramedic ambulance crew, the promoter’s team – to include venue staff and any security – and television personnel.
Boxers, referees, trainers and seconds will be required to have Covid-19 tests 24 to 48 hours before the tournament, and if negative, isolate at a local hotel. Board officials – referees, supervisors and judges – will be Covid-19 tested the night before the tournament, and must also self-isolate in a hotel until the tournament. Referees, judges, timekeepers and staff on the ring apron “must wear mask, eye protection and gloves throughout at all times during the tournament”.
Upon arrival at the venue and prior to entering the arena all attendees will have their temperature taken and will be asked Covid-19 screening questions; temperature checks will be undertaken with non-contact forehead thermometers, and all attendees will have to carry a copy of their Covid-19 test on the night.
The venue will be divided into inner and outer red, amber and green zones with the ring and surrounding two-metre area being the inner red zone.
Only boxers, their corners, the referee, cleaning staff and medical staff will be permitted inside the red zone.