By: Hans Themistode
Fighting is second nature for boxers.
After all, ducking and dodging punches while letting off a few shots of their own is what all fighters have been taught.
Yet, during their fight against this global pandemic caused by the Coronavirus, many of them have found themselves on the losing end.
With nearly one million total cases and over 33,000 deaths, the world is left scratching it’s collective heads trying to successfully battle the deadly disease.
The sports world, and boxing in particular, is having a difficult time dealing with the after effects of the virus.
For the past few weeks, sports events have come to a screeching halt. NBA games have been shelved, Tennis tournaments have been pushed back and the 2020 Olympic Games have been canceled entirely.
With no reprieve in sight, boxing more than any other sport has suffered unlike no other.
Although the virus has shown to be ruthless to everyone that it has crossed paths with, it seems to be even more ruthless to the boxing community.
Former Heavyweight title challenger Derrick Jefferson, 52 has recently been placed in a medically induced coma. Fringe Heavyweight contender Travis Kauffman is also currently undergoing treatment for the Coronavirus as well.
While there are a number of boxing figures receiving treatment, there is an even larger number of them that have succumbed to the disease entirely.
85 year old Boxing journalist Ron Ross, 80 year old hall of fame cut man and trainer Nelson Cuevas, 47 year old Laneeka Barksdale who is the long time girlfriend of hall of fame fighter Tommy Hearns and the father of Light Heavyweight contender Anthony Yarde have all recently passed away due to the Coronavirus.
The names of every single one of those men and women all have one thing common. They were and still are fighters.
Dealing with death and sickness is never easy. But the speed in which all of these tragedies are occurring, makes it an even harder pill to swallow.
The recent diagnosis of billionaire and New York Knicks owner James Dolan, also proves that this disease has no preference for who it attacks.
While the loss of life is devastating enough, the boxing community has felt the impact beyond the number of casualties.
From a financial standpoint, the entire boxing world has been hit particularly hard. Fighters have been barred from entering gyms and trainers who make their living not only training professional fighters but also other clients, have no way to make the money that helps them secure the living that they need.
Simply put, the once seemingly perpetual well of money that was generated from boxing is completely empty.
For as bleak as the immediate future of boxing seems at the moment, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Things cannot and will not be like this forever. Normalcy will return to the sport of boxing and to the entire world. With that being said however, no one has any indication as to when that day will actually come.