New York City is nicknamed “The Big Apple.” During the holiday season on Manhattan Island, that piece of fruit sizzles—no matter how low the thermometer dips. Tourists from around the globe pose for a memory by the iconic evergreen decked out in Christmas regalia at Rockefeller Center. Macy’s lights up Herald Square. A few blocks away at Sony Hall in Times Square, New York’s top boxing promoter, Larry Goldberg of Boxing Insider Promotions, delivered a December fight card that delighted fans and added a punch to the local fight scene.
Goldberg has carved out a niche. Fight fans line up down 46th Street, across from the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where Broadway-goers queue up to see Hamilton. Inside Sony Hall, veteran matchmaker Eric Bottjer assembles competitive bouts for a crowd of sharply dressed attendees, sipping pricey cocktails served by waitstaff.
On this evening, just eight days before Christmas, the fight of the night featured two flyweights. Angel Giovanny Meza Morales of Mexico was brought in as an opponent for the popular Andy Dominguez Velasquez. Morales gave Velasquez all he could handle. After eight rounds of intense action, Velasquez eked out a hard-fought split decision victory.
As always, the post-fight enthusiasm lingered. Crowds spilled onto the sidewalk. Managers, trainers, and promoters huddled, strategizing their fighters' next moves. Fashionably dressed fans, still buzzing from the action, debated which Irish pub to visit for a nightcap. Just a block away, McCarthy’s Irish Pub on 46th served as the go-to spot for our crew to enjoy appetizers and cocktails.
Larry Goldberg and Boxing Insider Promotions will return to Sony Hall on Thursday, February 20th. Following that, they head to the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City on Saturday, March 22nd.
Also in December, “THE ONE”, an Off-Broadway play, ran for one week at the AMT Theater on 45th Street. It was a one-man biographical performance about the life of Muhammad Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay. Written and directed by opera singer David Serero, who also appeared as Angelo Dundee in one scene, the show was minimalistic, with just a few props. Actor Zack Basile convincingly portrayed Ali, blending narration and pantomime. Special guest Gerry Cooney appeared onstage, answering audience questions about Ali at the evening’s conclusion. Serero also delivered a booming operatic rendition of the national anthem at Boxing Insider’s Sony Hall fight night.
Once the holiday decorations were packed away, Kings Promotions kicked off the 2025 boxing calendar with a card in Philadelphia on Friday, January 17th. Held at Live! Casino, the event featured a stacked undercard, courtesy of Kings Promotions head Marshall Kaufman.
Hot Philadelphia prospect Atif Oberlton, a light heavyweight, dispatched the tough but overmatched Joaquin Berroa Lugo of the Dominican Republic in five rounds of a scheduled eight. Oberlton improved to 12–0, with 10 of those wins coming by knockout. Lugo suffered his first loss, dropping to 6–1 with 4 KOs. The card drew a packed house, with too many local luminaries and fighters in attendance to list.
Oberlton is scheduled to return on Friday, March 14th, when Kings Promotions brings boxing back to Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, PA. Local Allentown junior welterweight Joseph Adorno will headline in a scheduled eight-round contest.
Most ringside pundits agree: it’s time for Oberlton to face stiffer competition. All eyes are on Kaufman to see who he’ll match his rising star against next.
Regional promoters like Kaufman and Goldberg are the lifeblood of the professional fight game. These club shows are where future champions are made.
No comments:
Post a Comment