It was Óscar Rivas’ dream to fight in Colombia. It will still have to wait before it comes true.
Posted at 5:42 p.m.
His super-lightweight world championship fight against Poland’s Lukasz Rozanski, scheduled for August 13 in Cali, was postponed on Tuesday. The Colombian based in Montreal was to fight at the Pascual Guerrero stadium, an enclosure that can accommodate 40,000 people.
“For the moment, we consider that we are in breach of contract,” said promoter Yvon Michel, Wednesday, on the sidelines of the press conference preceding the gala on July 29, at the Casino de Montreal.
“The truth is that our partner there was not able to deliver the goods. »
There was even talk of Jennifer Lopez taking part in the event. It may even be the cancellation of the singer that would have turned the plans upside down.
“We spoke almost every day for three months, says Michel. We were wondering when the last press conference was going to be, when the tickets went on sale. But he was telling us, “I have Jennifer Lopez, don’t worry. We will sell all the tickets in 24 hours.” »
And there was no indication of a postponement, according to the Quebec promoter.
“He was sending us all the promotion. We have plenty of promotional videos, posters, all documents and VIP gifts. We have his floor plan. Pricing details. Prices on the floor. All the information we had led us to believe that it was going to happen. »
“He tells us it’s because there’s a logistical problem with Jennifer Lopez. It’s true, it’s not true? I do not know. »
Another date ?
Despite everything, says Yvon Michel, “the organization did not run away”.
“He offered us another date, reveals the promoter. We, to accept this other date, we asked for more important financial guarantees. He told us that he would send us a certain amount of money to compensate Óscar and the other boxers on the card. We agreed and we accepted. We’ll see if the money will be there next Monday. »
He indicates that other groups in Colombia have expressed their interest in organizing the event. Yvon Michel says “wait to see what will happen with [son] current partner.
“If he doesn’t make the required repairs, and we don’t find a partner in Colombia to make Óscar’s dream of fighting in Colombia come true, then we bring the fight to Montreal. »
The promoter recalls that in the world of boxing, this kind of setback is commonplace.
“I’ve done events all over the world. Perhaps more have failed than succeeded. »
“For Óscar, we were going there not only because he could fight in front of his family, but also because it was the best scholarship he received in his career. We rolled the dice, but this time, we didn’t have a winning hand. »