Las Vegas Boxing

Hands down Las Vegas, the country's primary boxing venue is the best place to see a fight. From its glitzy hotels to the bright lights and neon signs of The Strip to the buzz inside the casinos and the excitement in the air in the arenas. It's electrifying.

Since the 1980s Las Vegas has been known as the "Boxing Capital of the World". Some of the best fights in boxing history have taken place in Las Vegas. Hagler vs Hearns, Leonard vs Hearns, Bowe vs Holyfield I, Tyson vs Berbick, Trinidad vs Vargas, Corrales vs Castillo I, Barrera vs Morales III just to name a few.

Being at a big fight in it of itself is an awesome experience. You really can't compare it to watching a fight on TV. Being at a big fight in Las Vegas is an incredible experience that you can't compare to seeing a fight anywhere else. Cliche as it may sound there is nothing like seeing a fight live in Vegas.

Note: Upcoming fights listed on the 2010 Las Vegas boxing schedule include tentatively scheduled fights so schedule is subject to change.

Las Vegas Boxing History

The visionary government of Nevada cleared the way for a fight between James Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons to take place on March 17, 1897 when Governor Reinhold Sadler signed the prizefighting act into law on January 29, 1897. At the time prize fights were illegal in all other states.

In 1941 the Nevada legislature established The Nevada Athletic Commission also know as the Nevada State Athletic Commission(NSAC) which regulates professional unarmed combat (boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts) in Nevada.

On May 27, 1960 Las Vegas hosted its first championship boxing match. It was a 15-round welterweight fight between Benny Paret and Don Jordan which took place at the Convention Center. Paret beat Jordan by unanimous decision and captured his World Welterweight Title.

Las Vegas, known as the boxing capital of the world historically has attracted the largest crowds in boxing and produced Nevada's richest boxing gates such as:

The Larry Holmes vs Gerry Cooney fight on June 11, 1982 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas drew 29,214 people breaking all attendance records for a sporting event in North American history.

The Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather Jr fight on May 5, 2007 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas produced the highest grossing boxing gate to date in Nevada. The fight sold out in three hours producing ticket sales grossing $18,419,200.00.

Las Vegas is also home to Johnny Tocco's Ringside Gym, one of the oldest and most storied gyms in boxing and a Las Vegas sporting shrine of sorts. Tocco was a legendary trainer, cornerman and cutman who ran the renown gym from the early 1950s until his death in 1997 and who has been credited with helping to make Las Vegas the fight capital of the world.

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