The past and future of boxing in baseball stadiums

Jess Willard and Floyd Johnson square off at Yankee Stadium in 1923.

On September 28, 1976, Yankee Stadium hosted its final boxing match. Muhammad Ali took on Ken Norton in an event that marked the end of an era. Under the backdrop of a New York City police protest, the streets ran wild with gangs and hoodlums. Most fans stayed away from the park, and those that came out created near-anarchy. The event was a financial disaster for all involved.

That night marked the end of an era of boxing in baseball stadiums. As Don Stradley wrote in a fantastic piece earlier this year, boxing and baseball stadiums once went hand in hand. He wrote of Yankee Stadium:

When Yankee owners Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston and Jacob Ruppert splurged for the $2.5 million stadium in 1922, they had boxing in mind. With second base the logical spot for a ring, a 15-foot vault was installed directly under the ground; it was wired so members of press row could telegraph stories to their editors. During the next 38 summers, the stadium hosted 48 nights of boxing, including 30 championship fights, the first of which was the 1923 lightweight bout between champion Benny Leonard and challenger Lew Tendler.

Yankee Stadium wasn’t alone in its love of boxing. The Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, Griffith Stadium and Fenway Park, among others, hosted epic fights, but it’s been over 30 years since a baseball venue served as a stage for a fight. Now, the Yankees may bring boxing back to the Bronx.

Earlier today, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao stood with promoter Bob Arum to announce a November fight in Las Vegas. During the press conference, Arum spoke of his desire to bring a fight to Yankee Stadium, and the Steinbrenners seem to be on board. “We have a history of bringing big fights to the Yankee Stadium,” said Arum. “It’s something we’d like to do again…Yankee Stadium had a great tradition of boxing, and hopefully with the new Yankee Stadium, we’ll start a new tradition.”

Both Arum and Lonn Trost, the Yanks’ COO, spoke of their desire to see a boxing ring at second base. “I think one of the reasons we had the press conference here is a precursor for a big, big event,” Arum said. “Certainly a big fight is going to happen next year, and it’s going to happen at Yankee Stadium.”

As the Yankees look to maximize the revenue streams from their new stadium, an off-season boxing match would be the perfect attraction. “There’ll be a winner of this fight and a winner of the Mayweather fight,” Trost said. “Where better to hold that fight than Yankee Stadium?”