The BCO Pont-Sainte-Maxence had the fierce desire to be one of the first clubs in France to organize a post-containment gala.
A pious wish which remains a dead letter for the moment.
After having abandoned the idea of hosting the French Championship of his super-cock Hugo Legros on August 1, his opponent having refused to fight on that date, the structure of the Oisian was forced to cancel the two professional fights that it was to receive next Saturday, behind closed doors at the La Salamandre gymnasium.
“There are still too many technical problems linked to the Covid-19 crisis,” sighs the president, Franck Dourlans.
Among these difficulties, the lengthening of the waiting period for test results, which makes it very difficult to welcome foreign boxers.
Hugo Legros and Daniel Dos Santos, the two Pontois on the bill, were supposed to face respectively Edgari Sarkisiani and Zura Mekereshvili, a duo of Georgians.
However, these opponents were to arrive in France on Thursday, to leave on Monday.
“But to get back on the plane, they are forced to test negative for Covid-19.
Today, the delays can go up to eight days because there are many requests, indicates Franck Dourlans.
They would therefore not have been able to return home on Monday.
Currently, it is also not easy to shift plane tickets.
And even for meeting delegates, it was getting complicated to get the tests done on time.
"
Another pitfall: the BCO Pont feared to see the gala canceled at the last moment by prefectural decision.
As had been the case during his previous attempt to organize on February 29, when the leaders learned of the bad news just hours before the first gong.
Boxers wait for the end of the tunnel
"In Oise, we are in the orange zone, but we are surrounded by departments in the red zone," notes the president.
If the situation changes, the prefecture may very well require the cancellation.
And from the moment the opponents are there, we incur costs.
We had a Damocles sword above our heads, it was getting too risky.
"
For the boxers of Team Oise Boxe Pro, the wait is starting to be very long.
Hugo Legros, for example, was already scheduled to box on February 29, before his French Championship scheduled for May 16 was obviously postponed.
Following the impossibility of doing so on August 1, he saw the Cap d'Agde gala organized by Brahim Asloum, where he had to fight with his teammate Yvan Mendy, also canceled at the end of August!
"It's hard to take your pain patiently, blows the super-bantamweight.
We make small sacrifices on a daily basis, we miss events with family or friends to be able to train.
The advantage is that our club reassures us and makes us relativize, even if the situation is unclear.
He does everything possible to organize future deadlines, he is determined.
It encourages us to stay focused and motivated.
And then, sport is currently secondary… ”
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Despite the pitfalls, the Pontois staff remains on a war footing.
“We want to participate in the restart of boxing, confirms Franck Dourlans.
We have already put an option with the town hall to organize the event on October 31.
If the lights are green at this time, we will.
But today, it is impossible to be sure, especially since the protocols to be respected are more and more numerous ... "