Three Incredible Venues That Hosted A Boxing Event

The Pyramids of Giza is one of the most iconic places in the World, but I have never considered it the venue for boxing.

The ancient tourist hotspot on the outskirts of Cairo in Egypt will host Oleksandr Usyk’s next fight against former Glory kickboxing heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven on May 23. The show comes courtesy of Sela and The Ring and will air live on DAZN.

FightsATW looks at three of the most impressive settings to host a boxing match throughout the sport’s history.

The main criteria for any venue to make my top 3 are that it be unusual or original, or simply spectacular. In no particular order, here they are.

Cardiff Castle, Wales – Joe Calzaghe vs. Miguel Angel Jiminez – August 17, 2002

Calzaghe returned to the Welsh capital to defend his WBO super middleweight title inside the 2000-year-old walls of Cardiff Castle. As the camera focused in on Calzaghe ahead of his eleventh world title defence, the main tower of the castle overlooked the Welsh hero in the near distance. The fight itself didn’t come close to as extravagant a venue as it was, but Calzaghe still scored a whitewash on the cards, with all three judges scoring it 120-107. There were no knockdowns, but Jimenez was deducted a point for a headbutt in the 10th round. Calzaghe improved to 34-0, while Jimenez suffered a second career defeat.

Around 6000 fans packed into the open air arena on the castle grounds where numerous battles have taken place. However, Calzaghe’s performance was described by The Guardian as “his worst performance since he outpointed David Starie in January 2000” and that the Welshman “struggled to find his range and his punches lacked their usual spark. Puerto Rico’s Jimenez came in on a three days notice in what was meant to be a spectacular performance for Calzaghe to set up a tie with Bernard Hopkins or Roy Jones Jr. Those fights would come, but six years later in the final two bouts of the Welsh Wizard’s career.

Diriyah Arena, Saudi Arabia – Andy Ruiz vs. Anthony Joshua – December 7, 2019

Long before Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season secured their grip on boxing, Saudi Arabia had already started luring some of the biggest fights to their country. The WBSS final between WBA super middleweight champion George Groves and Callum Smith was scoffed at, as the announcement that the pair would collide in Jeddah. At the end of the fight, Smith’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, told IFL TV that “boxing has a big future in the Middle East” and it wouldn’t be long until the British promoter would be heading back.

In 2019, Anthony Joshua was coming off a devastating 7^th-round loss to Andy Ruiz, but Hearn and Matchroom quickly snapped at their rematch clause. Diriyah Arena was announced as the host venue on the outskirts of Riyadh. However, the arena was yet to be built. Astonishingly, the Saudis were able to erect a 15,000-seater open-air arena in just six weeks. Many feared that the project was overly ambitious, but Joshua was able to reclaim his IBF, WBA, and WBO belts with a shutout points victory in the desert as the Clash on the Dunes went off without a hitch.

Plaza de Toros México, Mexico City – Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Frankie Randall 3 – May 22, 2004

The world’s largest bullring — Plaza de Toros Mexico — has hosted many boxing matches, but Julio Cesar Chavez’s third fight with Frankie Randall is arguably the most significant.

Constructed in 1946, the venue has a 42,000-seat capacity but has squeezed in over 50,000 in the past. The attendance is not recorded for this fight, but looking back at the footage, it appears that a small country has been incorporated into the brutalist-style open-air arena.

Randall handed Chavez his first career loss and his first knockdown in 1994, going on to claim a split-decision victory. The Mexican legend would overturn the result four months later, but in controversial circumstances when the bout was stopped early due to a cut above Chavez’s eyebrow. He would have his hand raised after the ringside doctor advised to stop the fight in the 8th, winning a technical-split-decision.

The rubber match came a decade later in what Chavez would call his final bout, “Adiós, México, Gracias”. Following ten rounds, Chavez won a unanimous decision. However, he would return for two more fights against Ivan Robinson and Grover Wiley before finally retiring.

Adam Noble-Forcey

Adam is a regular contributor to FightsATW and serves as the Online Editor for Germany’s longest-running boxing publication, BoxSport Magazin. He has covered the sport for over a decade, contributing to leading platforms including BoxingScene, Seconds Out, Boxing Social, and Pro Boxing Fans. In addition to his written work, Adam is a lead boxing commentator across Europe, calling fights in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Russia, Latvia, Albania, and the United Kingdom.

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