NEW YORK, NY — The boxing history and connection to New York City has a storied past with epic championship fights at Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, and at the Barclays Center. And the Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum situated on the west side of Manhattan held a boxing event on the flight deck back in 2001.
Though that event will always be remembered as tragic, the death of Beethaeven Scottland, the super middleweight who sustained too many punches to the head and later succumbed to his injuries. An event that can be remembered as a dark time for the sport and in New York.
Well past that incident, New York was the hotbed. The Garden and prior history with Hall of Fame fighters. The Barclays Center prior to the pandemic years of 2020-2021 were consistent and hosted epic championship fights including record gates for lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and welterweight title holder Danny Garcia.
Image Credit: DAZN
Then the dull period. Las Vegas, Texas, and Saudi Arabia with financier and sports promoter Turki Al-Sheikh who has all the action and control. Because money will lure in fighters and other promoters, Turki has enabled this renaissance of sorts for the sport staging events at unusual venues and in Riyadh.
And for years the tax structure and loss of revenue prevented promoters from returning to the Garden “The Mecca.” Though Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum retained his interest in a June Top Rank Boxing annual event at the Garden Theatre a night before the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Two weeks from Saturday, Top Rank Boxing returns to the Garden Theatre, as undefeated Puerto Rican superstar Xander Zayas opposes Jorge Garcia for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title. He, too, is comfortable fighting in New York City and knowingly outspoken about the Garden as his home.
Image Credit: Top Rank Boxing
Premiere Boxing Champions (PBC) secured the Barclays Center as a major venue, Garcia and Davis found a home in New York and requested to main event in Brooklyn. However, the Barclays Center had a transition in ownership, boxing was losing interest and a long hiatus ensued.
But all of that has changed, boxing is a hotbed again in New York City and that does not account for the others that stage club shows at venues to promote upcoming talent with aspirations to a championship opportunity. Tax structures with the New York State Athletic Commission and promoters have met halfway, venues also need the business and lured them in.
It’s getting back to normal, though not always as the unprecedented back-to-back MVP Promotions (Jake Paul) and Ring 111 (Turki, Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy) events Friday and Saturday evenings, respectively, at the Garden and Louis Armstrong Stadium, situated at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
Image Credit: The Ring Magazine
Events that have revived boxing in New York City, the boxing world, and fans. Though mainstream media is in the dark because to them boxing no longer has room for coverage, except when Jake Paul puts on the gloves.
The buzz is for Puerto Rico’s Amanada Serrano, the Jake Paul MVP-signed fighter, who has propelled female fighters to another level with exposure and talent. Serrano and Katie Taylor will meet for a third time at the Garden, an unprecedented all female card of five title fights.
Serrano lost two previous fights to Taylor, this 10-rounds for Taylor’s undisputed women’s junior welterweight championship. This is that trilogy, historic for female boxing, all fights streamed live on Netflix and expected record viewing audiences that should surpass Jake Paul-Mike Tyson back in November.
Image Credit: Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions
And Saturday night a blockbuster, more suited for the Garden but Turki and his collaboration with Eddie Hearn (Matchroom Boxing) and Oscar De La Hoya (Golden Boy Promotions) have turned around the industry securing unusual venues.
Their most recent was on May 1st in Times Square NYC, a ring blocked off with gated fences and private invitations of championship fights that were disappointing and an event overall that failed.
Image Credit: Ring Magazine
Then Teofimo Lopez defended his 140 pound title and the Ryan Garcia comeback failed with a disappointing loss that gained a junior welterweight title for Rolando Romero.
The Louie Armstrong Ring 111 of two championship fights–streamed live Saturday evening on DAZN PPV:
David Morrell vs. Iman Khataev 12 rounds light heavyweights: The Cuban Morrell coming off a unanimous 12-round decision loss to Mexican-American star David Benavidez for the WBA championship and WBC interim title.
Alberto Puello (Mexico) vs. Subriel Matias (Puerto Rico), 12 rounds for Puello’s WBC junior welterweight title. That must win for Matias who fought his way back for another title after Liam Paro dethroned him of the IBF title with a 12th round TKO last June in Puerto Rico, a homecoming that went bad.
Image Credit: Ring Magazine
Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda (Mexico), 12 rounds for Stevenson’s WBC lightweight title. Two southpaws could make for an entertaining fight and both undefeated. Will the real Shakur show up? His last two fights failed to excite and his 9th round TKO versus Josh Padley in February established a top two CompuBox record low number of punches thrown. Important for Stevenson to shine and continue his quest to unify the division. They will be in an 18-foot ring. Perhaps a meeting with Gervonta Davis, the WBA champion, a fight Turki can bank and stage.
Edgar Berlanga ( 23-1, 18 KO’s), the Brooklyn, NY native with Puerto Rican heritage vs. Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KO’s, United Kingdom) moving up to super middleweight with a good jab and foot work. The lone blemish for Berlanga, 12-round unanimous decision loss to Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed 168-pound titles (April 2024) and he fooled the skeptics going the distance. This is a title eliminator and the animosity of words could lead to a slugfest as both have power.
Welcome back to New York. Enjoy the fights.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and columnist at LatinoSports.com – X: @Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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