Hurricane Maria Forces Puerto Rico Boxing Card To Be Canceled
The destruction that Hurricane Maria left in its wake on the millions of citizens of Puerto Rico has severely damaged the day-to-day life on the U.S. territory and has now even affected the country's boxing schedule.
A boxing card scheduled for September 30 in the town of Juncos, headlined by former world champion Juan Manuel Lopez going up against former featherweight world title challenger Jayson Velez, has been canceled. The fight was set to be broadcasted via pay-per-view, but the storm left the country in near-complete ruin and unable to hold a boxing event.
ESPN first reported the news, but a source confirmed the card's cancelation to Fightful, saying that the country is facing far too many problems at this time to focus on running a boxing event.
The storm destroyed most of the country's infrastructure, leaving millions without power, communication, shelter and running water. The United States has been supplying provisions to the country and power has slowly started to come back in a few remotes areas. Transportation in and out of the country is still extremely limited with thousands of people struggling to find gasoline.
Lopez had been trying to resurrect his career after two knockout losses in a row in 2014, followed by a two-year layoff from the sport. He returned to action last year and scored an 11th-round knockout win over former junior featherweight champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. Velez, a former has been trying to do the same, having won two fights in a row following four consecutive decision losses.
