The Saturday boxing card promoted by Eddie Hearn and topped by a Kell Brook-Errol Spence main event at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, England figures to feature a charged atmosphere as some 27,000 fans will be raucously cheering on the local Brit boxer. But doubtlessly the mood will be dampened by the sadness lingering over the May 22 atrocity committed by a Brit of Libyan descent at Manchester Arena, following an Ariana Grande concert, which killed 23 people.
Thoughts Saturday night will turn to the suicide bombing at the hands of a radical Muslim terrorist and the uncertainty of the times we live in. But life goes on and so the boxing show will not be felled by fear of further acts of cowardice.
Planners and authorities will have increased security measures in place, and released this statement touching on the event and what is being done to insure the safety of fight fans:
BROOK VS. SPENCE JR.: CONFIRMATION OF ADDITIONAL SECURITY MEASURES
Matchroom Boxing, Sheffield United FC and South Yorkshire Police working to ensure a safe night for fight fans
Following the tragic events on Monday night in Manchester, organisers are doing everything possible to ensure Saturday’s world championship boxing event at Bramall Lane is a safe and enjoyable spectacular for all.
Sheffield’s Kell Brook defends his IBF World Welterweight title against American Errol Spence Jr. on a huge night of action in the Steel City, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Sheffield United Football Club, Matchroom Boxing, the British Boxing Board of Control and South Yorkshire Police have worked closely in organising the event. Stringent security measures were already in place before this week’s Manchester attack but further measures have now been put in place to ensure all visitors enjoy a safe and enjoyable trip to Bramall Lane.
United’s Operations Director, Dave McCarthy, says: “Many people have worked tremendously hard to ensure Kell’s dream of boxing at Bramall Lane comes true and we are delighted to welcome him, Matchroom and the boxing fraternity to S2.
“However, in light of recent events, it is of paramount importance that the thousands of visitors to Bramall Lane enjoy Saturday in the knowledge that the organisers have worked together very closely to make this a safe event for all. We ask visitors to be patient, understanding and vigilant to enable security personnel to do their jobs effectively.”
“I want to thank Sheffield United and South Yorkshire Police for all their help this week to enhance the safety of fans ahead of Saturday night,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “This is a major event for the city and the sport and I'm pleased we have put the important in provisions in place to move forward together.”
Assistant Chief Constable David Hartley, who will be overseeing the police operation of the boxing match, added: “We have been working closely with organisers at Matchroom Boxing and Bramall Lane throughout the planning of the event to review and ensure the appropriate security measures are in place on Saturday night.
“I would ask that you please arrive in plenty of time as specialist trained officers and security staff will be patrolling the stadium and searching everyone attending the event. Please also allow for extra time when travelling to the venue and use the dedicated taxi drop-off and collection point in the Decathlon car park on Eyre Street, as roads around the stadium will be closed to traffic.
“You can also expect to see high visibility and armed officers patrolling at the event and in surrounding areas. This is as a precautionary measure to offer reassurance to the community following the recent attack in Manchester and not in relation to a specific threat.
“This is a big event for Sheffield and we are looking forward to welcoming supporters and fans to our city.
“For updates and information about the event, follow our social media pages on Facebook and Twitter.”
Simon Roberts, of Security Alert UK, who heads up Matchroom’s security operation, comments: “Everything that we’ve requested from Eddie Hearn and Matchroom has been granted. We’ve got double the staff that we’ve ever had before. This will be a bigger operation with more staff than what we had at Joshua vs. Klitschko at Wembley.
“Supporters, as always, are encouraged to arrive early, give us plenty of time and if anyone sees anything suspicious then don’t delay, please let security know immediately.”
Amongst the security measures in place for Saturday’s event are:
* Extended stewarding operation in place
* Everyone who enters the stadium will be searched
* No re-entry policy enforced after admittance to the event
* Road closures in place around Bramall Lane
* No bags of any sort, including handbags, will be permitted
* Explosive detection dogs will be around the stadium
