Frank Warren EXCLUSIVE: Hopeful to have boxing fans back in October for Daniel Dubois vs Joe Joyce
Frank Warren has told talkSPORT that he's hoping Daniel Dubois vs Joe Joyce will be his first big event with boxing fans back in attendance.
The promoter has been spurred on in his efforts to stage the bout by Boris Johnson's recent announcement declaring crowds should be allowed to return in October.
Dubois and Joyce will appear in separate fights behind closed doors over the coming weeks.
Joyce meets Michael Wallisch on July 25 and Dubois faces Erik Pfeifer on August 29 - assuming they both win, they'll square off on October 24.
When asked about how fans affect fighters, Warren told Jim White on talkSPORT: "That's what they thrive off of. That's where they want to be, but we've got to make the best of the situation.
"We're doing our best to get the guys out, try and get them out on a regular basis now, under extremely difficult and awkward circumstances.
"But hopefully it's gonna ease down and there's talk of letting fans back in for live events.
"I think they're talking about the Premier League maybe as early as September.
"If that's the case, that'll follow on with boxing.
"Providing Joe Joyce, who's fighting on Saturday, and Daniel Dubois, who's fighting on August 29, providing they come through, our first real big event will be in October when those two get it on...
"It's like all sports, they thrive off of crowds.
"Sports like football, rugby and certainly boxing, the crowd can lift them.
"Although we had quite competitive fights on our first show on BT, the main event for example, if there had been a crowd there I think it'd have been an even better fight because the fighters would've lifted themselves.
"I just wanna get the live fans back in and try and get back, like everybody does in life, back to some normality."
The Prime Minister said last week: “From August 1, we will reopen most remaining leisure settings, namely bowling, skating rings, casinos and we will enable close contact services, beauticians to resume.
“Nightclubs, soft play areas – sadly – need to remain closed for now, although this will be kept under review.
“We will restart indoor performances to a live audience, subject to the success of pilots, and we will also pilot larger gatherings in venues like sport stadia, with a view to a wider reopening in the autumn…
“From October, we intend to bring back audiences in stadia and to allow conferences and other business events to recommence.
“Again, these changes must be done in a COVID secure way, subject to the successful outcome of pilots.”
He concluded: “It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November, at the earliest, possibly in time for Christmas.”