Glory Days of Boxing in Atlantic City
By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media Correspondent
Atlantic City ( March 13th, 2013)– Madison Square Garden and public television helped the sport of boxing to reach its popularity. While boxing may soon be surpassed by Mixed Martial Arts, or may combine with it to do interesting shows promoted on cable and the internet, the world has changed in the Northeastern United States.
When the internet became the major mode of sports reporting, my work in Atlantic City, New Jersey, took on a greater focus. Boxing shows were promoted at The Tropicana Casino, The Resorts Casino, Bally’s casino, Harrah’s Casino, and Boardwalk Hall. As a child, I had come to appreciate the boardwalk, beach and beautiful air Atlantic City and its rides offered in Spring and Summer time.
So as I went in and out of Atlantic city writing and taking photos at boxing shows, I never had to look at a slot machine, and never had the time to sleep over as I had to travel back to New York City to write my copy and make deadlines.
At a certain point, it occurred to me that although boxing shows had gone back in Atlantic City several decades, so far as my life was concerned, these were the glory days of boxing in Atlantic City. As seen in the photo above, boxers like Shamone Alvarez and Patrick Majewski were part of my Atlantic City experience.
Not every Atlantic City card is an HBO, ESPN2, Showtime or Spanish television event. There are many smaller cards of rising prospects, fringe contenders, and just plain good fights. Without Hall of Fame credentials, my career has mostly be relegated to smaller cards, which I appreciate more. It gives the reporter a chance to meet fighters and promoters close up, interview fighters, take pictures, and make more than just one story form the trip if they really know what they are doing and enjoy what they do.
Smaller boxing cards have also helped me to get to know referees and officials a little bit better than most journalists. With that comes a keen mutual respect for the difficulty of the work officials and corner people do. Having also worked the corner, I can tell you the corner is another aspect of the sweet science of boxing which is as difficult as it is fantastic. Every card reported is a new learning experience for me.
I never knew why people gamble the way they do, because I have never come to Atlantic City with that in mind as my purpose, nor would I ever. As a child, I liked the rides and the air of Atlantic City, and I still do today. I also enjoy watching the young fighters come up and make a name for themselves. Probably those who will become world famous will forget me. At the beginning of their careers I write stories about them, and they seem to appreciate the publicity. I also get to see a number of fighters who never become famous, or former champions and contenders on the fade, and fighters who had all the potential but lacked proper management and promotion. I see judges make good and bad decisions. Glory days in Atlantic City.
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