Top Rank boss Bob Arum says he has had “interesting” discussions about staging a major boxing card in Dubai later this year.
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The legendary promoter has talked about bringing an event to the UAE several times in recent months. But his latest comments are the most detailed yet as he outlined which bouts he would be keen to stage, how it would work for television coverage in the US and hinted at the Hamdan Sports Complex as a venue.
“I’m working on a super duper card in Dubai in November. What we’d do is (American network) HBO would televise it live in the afternoon in the United States,” said Arum, suggesting the bouts would take place late in the evening in the UAE.
Bob Arum proposing a triple header in Dubai. Lomachenko-Walters Bradley-Ali Ramierez-Abraham/Stieglitz Not bad. #Boxing
— BOXING FANATIC (@BoxingFanatic__) June 11, 2015
“We want to do three championship fights of high quality. I’ve already talked to (HBO Sports president Ken) Hershman about it.”
The card Arum is talking about would be headlined by a featherweight unification fight between Ukrainian superstar Vasyl Lomachenko and Jamaica’s Nicholas Walters. That would of course depend on Walters defeating Miguel Marriaga in New York on Saturday night.
Also on the card would be the winner of the June 27 fight between Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas against Sadam Ali, a New Yorker with Yemeni heritage.
The third proposed bout would be super middleweight Gilberto Ramirez going for a world title against the winner of the July 18 fight between Arthur Abraham and Robert Stieglitz.
Arum has also talked about matching Filipino super bantamweight Nonito Donaire with England’s Scott Quigg.
“It would be a triple-header championship event,” the 83-year-old added. “They have an indoor stadium about 15 miles from the centre of Dubai. We’ve had very, very interesting discussions.
“I’m not saying definitely it’s going to happen, but I know how to do these things and I know what’s real and what (isn’t). I feel this is real. Would I bet my life on it happening? Not yet – not until we have a sizable deposit.”
