AFTER 62 YEARS, BOXING WILL BE BACK IN GLENDALE, CA
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 13 Mar 2009
Harutyunyan.
Canoga Park, CA:- Back in 1947, the Glendale, California City Council, under pressure from its residents voted to ban boxing competition within the city limits. The sport was classified as ?unwholesome? back then. The ban stood until a persevering ex- fighter took it upon himself to repeal the existing city ordinance.
Glendale-based Kharen Harutyunyan, a former NABO super flyweight champion turned promoter spearheaded the movement that lobbied the Glendale City Council for the changes. Harutyunyan owns and operates the Art of Boxing Promotions in the city.
Last Tuesday, after several public hearings, four City Council members indicated that they will vote to overturn the 62 year old ban but sternly indicated that ?they will be watching the first fight - tentatively booked for June 12, 2009 - for any hint of negative impact to the city.?
?I am hoping it will be OK, but I will be watching like a hawk,? stated Councilman Bob Yousefian.
In spite of the hard work of Harutyunyan, a Council member indicated his opposition to lift the ban, saying that he is ?philosophically uncomfortable? with professional fights. But, he did not dispute the contention of the proponents that the ban has been short-changing the ability of local boxers to fight before their hometown crowd.
To allay the fears of the supporters to keep the ban, the City Council will undertake many precautions and reviewed a whole bunch of conditions to be included in the proposed contract to allow boxing again.
Foremost will be safety. The assure that, Harutyunyan?s promotion company will have to supply 8 door monitors, four private security guards and the cost of five Glendale Police Units, including a canine unit and a fire marshal.
The arena will be smoke-free and beer and liquor sales will end at 9:00 PM, one hour before the end of the last bout of the evening.
Traffic officials would also be provided to direct motorist leaving the event away from nearby residential streets and into major road arteries like the nearby Glendale Freeway.
Capacity for the whole event will be limited to 1100 fans.
Despite the precautions to assure a smooth event, there were still detractors who called boxing ?barbaric and nefarious.? One called it a ?huge step back in social advancement.?
But one Council member, Ara Najarian cited the violence in hockey and football as proof that ?sanctioned battering? has its place in sports.
?We are talking about two trained individuals and boxing is more controlled,? he said.
The fight-card slated on June 12 is already sanctioned by the California Athletic Commission which requires a host of on-site restrictions and testing, including background checks for boxers. Fighters must undergo CAT Scan prior to the event, and an on-site doctor with authority to shut down a fight will be on hand.
The ordinance to allow the fight will come back to the full City Council for a vote but it was clear after Tuesday?s hearing that Harutyunyan will have the votes to make the June 12th fight card happen. However, should the event go awry, the ban will be back in place. The proposed ordinamce also give the City Manager a very broad discretion in reviewing applications to hold matches in the City.
?I am impressed that Harutyunyan has jumped through considerable hoops to make this happen," Mayor John Drayman said.
Harutyunyan for his part stated:- ?It does put a little pressure, but it?s just another milestone in my promotional career.?
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