World Famous Boxing Arenas: Boxing's Most Legendary Venues
The Most Storied Venues in the Fight Game
It is a fact that a boxing arena is an instrumental part of a boxing card.
The more famous the venue, the more value it will bring to the event- and all the fighters in it.
Some sporting arenas are more famous than others due to their usage in important and historic boxing matches.
In this article, we will look at these boxing Colosseums in a tribute to the 10 most legendary boxing venues ever.
1. MGM Grand
We start off with the mighty MGM Grand Arena. It is part of the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, which is one of the largest hotels in the USA.
The arena can seat up to 17,000 spectators and it is used for high-profile boxing (and now UFC) matches.
We’ve seen some awesome spectacles unfold here. These include the biggest boxing fight in history, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Manny Pacquiao.
We also saw Mayweather take on Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez here.
Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield also took place here.
2. Caesar’s Palace
Sticking to Las Vegas, this was the ‘Home of Champions’ back in the 1980s, as it featured all of boxing’s biggest fights.
Caesar’s Palace is also based in a luxury hotel and, as its theme is the Roman era, it gave off the vibe of two gladiators competing whenever there was a top title bout.
Some of the greatest fights that have taken place in this 4286-seater include Sugar Ray Leonard vs Thomas Hearns, Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali, Oscar De La Hoya vs Julio Cesar Chavez and Marvin Hagler vs Sugar Ray Leonard.
3. Madison Square Garden
Next up we’ve got one of the most famous arenas in the world.
All sorts of events happen here but The Garden is mostly associated with the WWE or with boxing.
It is located in the heart of New York City and it can seat an audience of up to around 20,700.
Throughout the past 100 years, MSG has hosted fights that have changed the face of sports entertainment, pop culture, boxing or all of the above.
We had Joe Louis vs. Rocky Marciano in the 40s, Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier I and II in the 70s (aka the fights of the century), Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield in the 90s, and many more.
4. Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
The Boardwalk Hall can seat up to around 22,700 people and it is known for a bunch of different shows such as concerts, the Miss America pageant and boxing matches.
As far as the latter is concerned, it has hosted fights such as Dick Tiger vs Joey Giardello and Evander Holyfield vs Dwight Muhammad Qawi II.
However, it is mostly known to boxing fans as the home of Mike Tyson, to whom many give credit for putting this convention centre on the map.
Tyson fought Michael Spinks in the highest-grossing fight at the time and he has fought around a dozen more fights here.
5. Plaza Mexico
The Plaza Mexico is located in Mexico City, and it has hosted two FIFA World Cup finals.
Also known as Estadio Azteca, this stadium has several records.
Not only is it the largest bullring in the world, but it also hosted the boxing match with the highest-ever attendance.
130,000 spectators live and millions around the world saw Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. punish Greg Haugen to thunderous cheers from the crowd.
Another important fight was the third bout between Chavez and Frankie Randall.
We’ve seen other Mexican legends compete there too, such as Juan Manuel Márquez, Ruben Olivares, Erik Morales and more.
6. Yankee Stadium
The Yankee Stadium is significant in boxing history, as it used to host bouts all the time.
Matches such as Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton III, Miguel Cotto vs Yuri Foreman- plus several fights from Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis and Floyd Patterson.
In comparison, the world’s most famous baseball stadium can host more than 30,000 attendees.
7. Thomas and Mack Centre
This 19,500-seater in Paradise, Nevada has had the honour of hosting some of the sport’s most remembered bouts.
These include Julio César Chávez vs Hector Camacho, Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe, Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya, Érik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao II/III and many more!
8. Detroit Olympia
At the time of its construction in the 1920s, the Olympic Stadium in Detroit was one of the largest arenas in the USA with a capacity of 15,000.
It is the only stadium on this list that doesn’t exist anymore as it was demolished more than 30 years ago.
Apart from a list of notable concerts, the Detroit Olympia has also hosted some popular boxing matches.
The more prominent fights include Jake LaMotta taking on Sugar Ray Robinson and Marcel Serdang.
9. Great Western Forum
Also known as the Fabulous Forum, or just the Forum- this arena is located in Inglewood, California, and it gained popularity for being home to the LA Clippers (basketball) and LA Kings (hockey) at a time.
It has also held famous boxing cards, including the one with Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton II and Juan Manuel Márquez vs Mike Alvarado.
The Forum can host a capacity crowd of up to 17,500 people.
10. Cow Palace San Francisco
Finally, we have the Cow Palace in San Francisco – an indoor arena that has held it all- from livestock expositions, concerts and political conventions, to basketball, ice hockey and boxing matches.
As far as boxing is concerned, San Francisco was known as a hub of the sport back in the 1950s and 1960s.
Many fighters have made a name for themselves here, including Muhammad Ali (back when he was known as Cassius Clay), Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson.
The Cow Palace has a seating capacity that goes up to around 16.5k.
Other prominent boxing arenas that deserve to be mentioned include the Smart Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines (which hosted the Thrilla in Manilla) and the York Hall in London (which has held a bunch of world title fights).
