Dennis Hobson is to stage a drive-in boxing show in November in a bid to get a crowd back to boxing despite the coronavirus restrictions.
The former promoter of Ricky Hatton and Clinton Woods will put on a British flyweight title fight between Tommy Frank and Kyle Yousaf in the car park of Sheffield Arena on November 20.
Fans will be allowed to come, driving up to ringside, but will watch from inside their cars. Eurosport will televise the event.
“I’ve been looking at different ways to get my fighters back to work, and when the drive-in idea was suggested I thought it was workable,” Hobson said. “The fighters get back to boxing, fans can come along and watch the show live, and Eurosport will have a smashing card to broadcast.
“I’ve been involved in boxing at all levels, and have staged shows from Rotherham to Las Vegas, but I think we could well be making history with this one.
“Obviously this pandemic has seriously affected everybody’s lives, and it’s been a very difficult time. The sports world has been massively hit, and that includes boxing, with a few shows going ahead with no audience and lots of restrictions.”
The unbeaten Frank had been due to face Maximino Flores for the IBO title before the pandemic hit. Hobson believes a win over the unbeaten Yousaf would put him on target for world honours.
“This fight between Tommy and Yousaf is going to be terrific,” Hobson said. “They’re all-action, both are unbeaten, it’s for the prestigious British Title, and both lads are from Sheffield, so it has that extra spice.
“Neither of these kids are going to want to lose this one. Whoever comes out on top will obviously go onto bigger things, but the loser can definitely come again too.
“Tommy is my fighter, and he’s been unlucky. We lined up IBO world title shot for him in February, but that fell through because of the pandemic. So, this is another great opportunity.
“I’m confident that he’ll have a bit too much for Yousaf. What I can guarantee though, is that it will be a fantastic fight to watch for the fans.”
Ron Lewis is a senior writer for Boxing Scene. He was Boxing Correspondent for The Times, where he worked from 2001-2019 – covering four Olympic Games and numerous world title fights across the globe. He has written about boxing for a wide variety of publications worldwide since the 1980s.