ISLAMABAD Pakistan Professional Boxing League (PPBL) on Friday announced to postpone its Arabian Sea Title Fight for an indefinite period. The fight in which pugilists from several countries were set to fight was originally scheduled to take place on April 24 in Islamabad. “The decision to postpone the event has been taken in view of the measures being taken in the country to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19),” Secretary Information PPBL Mian Azhar told APP. “It was the first of its kind boxing event in the country and postponing it has not been an easy decision. But we didn’t have any other choice in the prevailing situation,” he said. He said these were challenging times and PPBL Chairman Syed Nauman Shah had taken all the board members in confidence before deciding to postpone the event. “All [board members] agreed that it is our responsibility to make cautious decisions,” he said. He said difficult decisions around the world had been taken to postpone, or cancel all gatherings, including major sports and cultural events and religious congregations. “The PPBL extends sympathies to the pugilists, who were set to feature in the fight.” Azhar said the PPBL stood with the government and masses at this difficult time. He said work on the possibility of rescheduling the event would be taken after consultation with all the stakeholders. “We’ll keep on monitoring the situation and exploring the possibility to hold the event sometime later. A new date will only be announced as soon as the things get better,” he added.—APP
