Boxing Heads, Welcome to the Hall.
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 13 Apr 2013
NEW YORK -- Radio City Music Hall is not commonly associated with prize fighting. The iconic New York landmark is commonly known as the home of the annual ?The Radio City Christmas Spectacular? featuring the popular dancing group, The Rockettes.
Tonight, instead of Lady Gaga, or rap mogul Jay Z, a pair of Super bantamweight champions, Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux, will be headlining one of the famous landmarks in the country as they battle each other for boxing supremacy.
It will only be the second time in its eighty year history that Radio City will host a boxing event, first was a Roy Jones Jr. championship bout in 2000.
?We are thrilled to be hosting world championship boxing again on the great stage and we are excited that thousands of boxing fans will experience fighting firsthand in Radio City and millions of people around the world will watch on HBO,? said Richard Claffey, SVP and General Manager of the theater.
The venue has undergone interior and physical changes in preparation for tonight?s boxing showcase and its organizers are promising a totally different experience that boxing fans have accustomed to in the past.
Instead of its usual stage, a boxing ring will be the center of attention of the more than 6000 people who are expected to be there tonight. The ring was brought in last Thursday and it was carried piece after piece, post after post, inside the venue.
?The ring will be in the middle of the stage, the TV guys will be at the back end of the stage and they have a 90 foot wide video screen behind the ring. So that will be at the back of the stage, about 30-40 feet high. They will do a sports screen because the camera is in the middle of it,? said Ed Kennan of EMC Events, Top Rank?s go-to-guy in the East Coast.
?It is going to be pretty cool,? added Keenan.
Top Rank Boxing Promotions announced earlier that it sold its last remaining tickets yesterday afternoon and that the fight will be witnessed by a capacity crowd of 6,145. It will be broadcast live in the US by HBO and other accredited TV networks worldwide.
In less than twenty four hours, ?The Showplace of the Nation? will host a different kind of performance that it has been accustomed to. No lavish stage productions like a Cirque de Soleil show, no high-kicking, leg-stretching extravaganza like the Rockettes but it will be a presentation of true guts and glory that only the ?Sweet Science? can offer.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com and follow him on Twitter @Freemazon910.
Photo by Rich Mazon.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Weights from Tokyo: Christian Araneta 107.6, Thanongsak Simsri 107.1 for Vacant IBF Light Flyweight World Title
By Carlos Costa, Wed, 18 Jun 2025Weigh-In Results: Brian Norman Jr. vs. Jin Sasaki
Wed, 18 Jun 2025CLARESSA SHIELDS VS. LANI DANIELS PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Wed, 18 Jun 2025Brian Norman Jr.: "This Championship Belt Means Everything to Me!"
Wed, 18 Jun 2025Julian Gonzalez Takes on Former World Title Challenger Jason Sanchez in Main Event on Friday, June 27th at The 2300 Arena in Philadelphia
Wed, 18 Jun 2025IBA reaffirms its commitment to good governance and stability in Africa
Wed, 18 Jun 2025Day One of the USA Boxing Junior Olympics and Summer Festival Concludes
Wed, 18 Jun 2025The Past Week in Action 16 June 2025: Hitchins Stops Kambosos; Wins by Andy Cruz and Teremoana; Donaire Returns
By Eric Armit, Tue, 17 Jun 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 9 - MUHAMMAD ALI WINS WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
By Maloney L. Samaco, Tue, 17 Jun 2025OKC Nears First NBA Title in Thunder Era; Outclasses Indiana, 120-109 in Game 5
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Tue, 17 Jun 2025Crawford Refutes #3 P4P Ranking; WBA Doesn't Forget Nonito Donaire
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Tue, 17 Jun 2025GM John Paul Gomez joins Touchmove in Roxas City
By Marlon Bernardino, Tue, 17 Jun 2025Perfect foe, perfect outcome
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 17 Jun 2025Prospects Collide Results: Rajon Chance Defeats Yan Carlos Perez
Tue, 17 Jun 2025Undefeated Russian super middleweight Petr “The Surgeon” Khamukov to headline This Friday in Long Beach on DAZN
Tue, 17 Jun 2025