Barclays Center Source Says They Are “No Longer Interested” in Hosting Hopkins-Kovalev

Published

11 years ago

August 16, 2014

TUESDAY UPDATE: I see Boxrec lists the Hopkins-Kovalev bout for Atlantic City. I asked Main Events’ Kathy Duva if this is true.

“I cannot say for sure at this point,” Duva told me. “I have a meeting with my partners at Golden Boy later today to discuss.”

SUNDAY UPDATE: Main Events chief Kathy Duva touched base with TSS, to give an update on site choice for Kovalev-Hopkins. “We are still looking at Atlantic City and one other venue that has expressed interest,” the promoter for Sergey Kovalev told me. “We will make our decision early in the week. I can’t say any more, at this point, as we are co-promoting with Golden Boy and must make all decisions and announcements together.”

A source with intimate knowledge of the goings on tells me that Barclays Center has removed itself from volunteering to serve as a host for the forthcoming light heavyweight showdown between the ageless wonder Bernard Hopkins and the Russian terminator, Sergey Kovalev. The 175 pound title consolidation scrap will likely land in Atlantic City, on Nov. 1, the source tells me. “We are putting on a major music event with Live Nation on Nov. 1,” the source said.

The promotion will be a shared effort between Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy and Main Events, led by Kathy Duva. Golden Boy places NY events in Brooklyn, but Duva is often keen to place shows in AC. Though that region has been stung by a stream of casino closures and wasn’t able to attract a truly robust crowd for Kovalev’s bout on Aug. 2, it is looking like the gambling mecca will be the platform for perhaps the most anticipated scrap in the year of boxing 2014.

Regular readers know I make no secret in saying that I am an unabashed fan of Barclays, their committment to the sport, and the increase in bouts the NYC fight fan enjoys because of the competition between them and Madison Square Garden. I’m not one to kick someone or some place when they are down, and truly rue the negative economic impact casino closures will have on hard-working folks in AC…but I believe the buzzy borough of Brooklyn was the best fit for this scrap.

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