Phoenix keen to fly Virus hits Vegas boxing bubble

WELLINGTON Phoenix is so confident it’ll be cleared to enter Australia, it’s booked a flight to Sydney today without having received a travel exemption.

Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison conceded there were “a couple of little ticks” the ALeague club still needs before its players and staff could pass through Australian borders, but it had chosen to front-foot the situation.

Morrison has been in close contact with A-League boss Greg O’Rourke and indicated most of the clearance process with NSW government departments and the border force had been completed.

With the club anxious to begin its 14-day quarantine process ahead of the July 16 ALeague resumption, it had chosen not to await the official Australian green light, which would have delayed flight bookings further.

Wellington is anxious to travel as soon as possible, with the playing squad effectively separated into four groups during Sydney quarantine.

A CORONAVIRUS positive test has rocked a Las Vegas boxing fight card ahead of next week’s bouts involving Australian twins Andrew and Jason Moloney.

A main event junior welterweight contest scheduled for yesterday, Australian time, inside the MGM Grand Casino “bubble” between Puerto Rico’s Jose Pedraza and New York’s Mikkel LesPierre was cancelled after the latter’s manager tested positive.

The Moloneys’ manager, Tony Tolj, said the test proved just how strict fight promoter Top Rank has been in enforcing protocols and testing to protect fighters involved in an innovative schedule of fight cards at the MGM.

“We were not allowed to enter the Top Rank gym until we were all tested and the sparring partners were not allowed in until they were tested,” Tolj said. “Once we go inside the bubble at the MGM there is strict testing too.”

The Melbourne-born, Kingscliff-based Moloneys are living in a house in Las Vegas and training at the Top Rank gym. They will be tested and if cleared allowed to move into the MGM bubble today.

The bubble has a speciallybuilt boxing ring, training facilities and living quarters cut off from the outside world.

There will be no spectators when Andrew Moloney defends his WBA super flyweight title against Texan challenger Joshua Franco on Tuesday.

Jason Moloney, a top-five rated bantamweight, takes on Mexican brawler Leonard Baez two days later.