By David Weinberg
The drought is finally over. Big-time boxing finally makes its return to the main arena of Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall Saturday night when undefeated welterweight world champions Jaron “Boots” Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) and Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) face off.
Ennis, from Philadelphia, is the International Boxing Federation champion. Stanionis, from Lithuania, holds the World Boxing Association title.
It marks the first major boxing event to be held in the main section of Boardwalk Hall in 11 years. The last one took place on Nov. 8, 2014, when then-WBA light-heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev earned a 12-round, unanimous decision over former middleweight and light-heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins.
There was a time when Atlantic City and especially Boardwalk Hall reigned supreme as the top spot for big fights.
Its emergence essentially started in the early 1980s, not long after legalized gambling arrived in town in 1978.
Prior to that, the biggest fight to be held in Atlantic City was on Dec. 7, 1963, when Joey Giardello won the middleweight title with a victory over Dick Tiger.
Twenty years later, the venue started its incredible run. On March 18, 1983, Michael Spinks got off the canvas to beat the late Dwight Muhammad Qawi in a thrilling, 15-round fight for the World Boxing Council light-heavyweight title.
Thus began an incredible 30-year span that saw virtually every champion and contender fight at Boardwalk Hall, including Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, the late George Foreman, Roberto Duran, the late Arturo Gatti and Kelly Pavlik.
During that era, Atlantic City rivaled – and maybe even surpassed – Las Vegas as the unofficial “Boxing Capital of the World.”
And Boardwalk Hall was the epicenter.
Here’s one opinion of the most memorable fights held there.
1. Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks (June 27, 1988). – A record crowd of 21,785 showed up to see a matchup of boxing’s top two heavyweights. Deafening roars erupted when Tyson flattened Spinks in 91 seconds.
2. Iran Barkley-Roberto Duran (Feb. 24, 1989) – Approximately 7,000 fans braved a snowstorm and bitter cold to see if Barkley could retain his WBC middleweight title against the legendary Duran. Duran earned the belt with a split decision in an intense, thrilling fight.
3. Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward III (June 7, 2003) – The two had split the first two meetings. The rubber match was epic. Both fighters displayed unbelievable courage and determination during Gatti’s unanimous decision win. Gatti and Ward wound up in adjoining beds at the hospital afterward.
4. George Foreman-Evander Holyfield (April 19, 1991) – An estimated 20,000 fans – the second-largest crowd for a fight in Atlantic City – showed up to see if Foreman could continue his amazing comeback. Big George had his moments, but Holyfield’s mix of boxing skills and toughness carried him to a unanimous decision.
5. Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor I (Sept. 29, 2007) – Taylor was the undefeated middleweight champ who had beaten the legendary Bernard Hopkins. Pavlik recovered from early punishment to stun Taylor with a seventh-round TKO.
6. Ray Mercer-Tommy Morrison (Oct. 18, 1991) – Morrison, who was 28-0 at the time, dominated the early rounds with a relentless attack, but ran out of steam. Mercer battered him in the fifth round, launching a 15-pounch flurry that left Morrison sagging helplessly against the ropes. Morrison died in 2013.
7. Andrew Golota-Riddick Bowe II (Dec. 14, 1996) – Golota had lost their first fight because of repeated low blows. In the rematch, he put Bowe on the canvas twice, but his old habits cost him again. An intentional head butt and three more low blows forced referee Eddie Cotton to disqualify Golota in a fight he was clearly winning.
8. Sergio Martinez-Paul Williams II (Nov. 20, 2010) – Williams had earned a controversial decision in their first fight a few months earlier. Martinez left no doubt in the rematch, scoring a spectacular, one-punch knockout in the second round. Two years later, Williams was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.
9. Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik (Oct. 18, 2008) – Busloads of fans from Pavlik’s hometown of Youngstown, Ohio made the trip to Atlantic City to watch the undefeated middleweight champion face the legendary Hopkins in a non-title fight. Hopkins outboxed and punished Pavlik during a convincing decision victory.
10. Roy Jones Jr.-Vinny Pazienza (June 24, 1995) – Jones was one of the best pound-for-pound fighters at the time while Pazienza was in the midst of a comeback from a broken neck sustained in a car accident four years earlier. Jones dominated the fight en route to a sixth-round TKO. In the fourth round, Jones became the first fighter in CompuBox history to go an entire round without getting hit.
After Kovalev-Hopkins, however, big fights began to dwindle. While Boardwalk Hall has remained active by hosting college basketball tournaments, and the state high school wrestling championships, boxing has been relegated to the Adrian Phillips Ballroom upstairs.
To be sure, the city has still hosted its share of top fights over the last decade. Borgata, Hard Rock and Ocean casinos all staged major bouts involving outstanding fighters such as current undisputed light-heavyweight champion Dmitrii Bivol, Kovalev, and women’s five-division champion Claressa Shields.
And local promoters such as Millville’s Rising Star Promotions and Atlantic City’s Boxing Insiders Promotions deserve huge credit for keep the sport alive during the down times with quality cards at the Claridge, Showboat and Tropicana.
But there’s something about a big fight at Boardwalk Hall that’s different.
The electric atmosphere, the excitement, the tension, the energy is unmatched.
Kudos to the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame, the Atlantic City Sports Commission, Boardwalk Hall, New Jersey Athletic Control Board Commissioner Larry Hazzard and promoters Matchroom Boxing and Premier Boxing Champions for making Saturday possible.
I can’t wait.
Speaking of big boxing events, last Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of the day Atlantic City heavyweight Bruce Seldon became the city’s first world champion.
On April 8, 1995, Seldon won the WBA title with a seventh-round TKO over Tony Tucker at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points.
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