THINGS THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN

CROWN BOXING ASSOCIATION UNIVERSAL QUEST

Russo unveiled a sanctioning body all of his own in October 2019, claiming to have a $150 million pot to fund a tournament to anoint the CBA’S first world champions. He “reached out” to Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Jacobs, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, among others, offering purses of up to $20 million. They didn’t respond. Russo removed all trace of the CBA.

UNIVERSAL WORLD BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP

Two months later, Russo outlined a “world tour” type tournament starting in March 2020, taking in 10 countries and three US states. “All these countries and associations have committed,” he said. Not one of these events happened.

AMERICAN BOXING ASSOCIATION (ABA) TOURNAMENT

Russo claimed in June 2020 to be organising an elimination tournament to crown the ABA’S inaugural champions. The ABA does exist, but its CEO, Dean Smith, has cut ties with Russo.

TRUNKS AND TREATS

Around the same time Dennis Hobson announced a Covid-safe drive-in boxing event, Russo did likewise. The format was the same – fans surround a ring in their cars – but the execution was different in that Hobson’s show, on December 11 in Sheffield, went ahead, and Russo’s, on October 31 in Salem, Virginia, did not.

CONQUER THE KEYS

Set for January 9 in Florida, this promised live boxing and appearances by Riddick Bowe, Mia St John, Junior Jones and Butterbean. It never happened, and the advertised venue, the Coffee Butler Amphitheatre in Key West, claimed to have no knowledge of it.

MISCELLANY

At various points in Russo’s social media history he has either announced or claimed to be working on cards in Afghanistan, Australia, Bahamas, China, Croatia, France, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkey, the UK and 25 US states. Not one of them happened.