I’ve never really boxed, but I enjoy watching boxing on TV and reading about it. In fact, one of my favorite all-time books is A.J. Liebling’s boxing classic, “The Sweet Science.” With that in mind, it has always irked me that I’d never actually attended a pro boxing event in person. Several weeks ago, when The Mobile Press-Register reported that a pro boxing event was going to be held in Mobile, Ala., I made up my mind to go.
The event was held at the Mobile Civic Center Arena Expo Hall in downtown Mobile and was Mobile’s first nationally televised pro boxing event in 30 years. Sponsored by the Mobile Sports Authority, Corona and DeWalt Tools, the event was televised on FOX Sports Net, FOX Deportes and FUEL TV. The event featured seven fights and five pro fighters from Alabama. The doors to the arena opened at 6 p.m. with the fights starting around 7:30 p.m. The night ended between 10:30 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.
The event was well attended, and I’d say that the venue was at least half full. The crowd seemed to come from all walks of life and ranged from the extremely well dressed to folks there in flip flips and shorts. I’d also say that they event had a healthy family vibe to it. I saw more than a few women and children in the audience, and it looked like more than a few dads had brought their young sons to the event.
Those in attendance were not disappointed by the quality of the boxing. In the main event, heavyweight Deontay Wilder of Tuscaloosa beat Kerston Manswell of Trinidad and Tobago in the first round of a scheduled 10-round fight. In the co-main event, featherweight Jayson Velez of Caguas, Puerto Rico improved to 19-0 with a win over Leivi Brea of Miami.
In other action, super middleweight Gundrick King of Tuscaloosa improved to 18-8 with a unanimous decision over Mikel Williams of Monroe, La. Heavyweight Keith Thompson of Birmingham improved to 6-1 with a TKO victory over Anthony Greeley. In what was arguably the best fight of the night, welterweight Ray Ray Bryant of Tuscaloosa improved to 3-0 with a unanimous decision over Anthony Middlebrook of Holt.
Junior middleweight Dmitriy Salita of Brooklyn, N.Y. improved to 34-1-1 with a TKO over Roberto Valenzuela of Nogales, Ariz. Light heavyweight Thomas Williams of Fort Washington, Md. improved to 10-0 with a first-round victory over Harley Kilfian of Menominee, Wis.
The crowd was really into the fight, especially during the portions that were televised. I kind of got lucky in way because I found myself sitting in front of a bunch of young guys, who cracked jokes throughout the event. Some of them had never been to a boxing match before in person, and their running commentary kept me laughing the entire night.
Going to watch a pro boxing event in person reminded me of watching pro hockey in person. Watching these sports on TV is one thing, but watching them in person is something altogether different – and better. I sat close enough to the action Saturday night that I had to worry about getting flying spit and sweat on me, and there were a couple of times when I thought one of the combatants was going to come flying through the ropes on top of me. I can testify that there is nothing like watching real boxing, up close and in 3D.
In the end, I enjoyed scratching another item off my bucket list. How many of you have ever attended a professional boxing event? Who did you see fight? When and where was the event held? What do you remember most about it? Let us know in the comments section below.
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