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          Top Rank exploring June 9 boxing card in Las Vegas, Bob Arum says

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2020, 08:04 PM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          Boxing is moving one step closer to returning to the United States.

          Top Rank is exploring an event for June 9 in Las Vegas, company CEO Bob Arum confirmed to ESPN's Steve Kim. The event, which is yet to be finalized, is slated to be held at an MGM property.

          If it occurs, it will be the first known boxing card to occur since the nationwide restrictions implemented in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The card would air on an ESPN network.

          "It's the tentative date for Top Rank, subject to working with the commission [in Nevada]," Arum said. "We're optimistic on it, and working with ESPN. They want that date, so that is the tentative date."

          The date was first reported by The Athletic.

          Featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson is in the mix to headline the June 9 card, Arum said. Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) was scheduled to defend his WBO title against Miguel Marriaga on March 14 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The fight was called off on March 13, hours after an afternoon news conference to promote the bout on ESPN.

          The New Jersey native won the vacant belt after he beat Joet Gonzalez via unanimous decision in October. Stevenson, 22, won the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics.