Canelo Alvarez and Rocky Fielding will leave it all in the ring at the iconic Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Dec. 15. Neither boxer has ever fought at MSG and this will be Fielding's first fight in the United States.
To experience a fight at Madison Square Garden should be on every fight fan's bucket list. But to have your name on the marquee outside of "The World's Most Famous Arena" and compete within the confines of The Garden is something boxers dream of.
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To talk about the history of boxing you must discuss Madison Square Garden, and to talk about the iconic moments at Madison Square Garden you must bring up the Sweet Science.
From the moment fans started to head for a fight at MSG, it was an experience. The makeup of New York City and the subway rides were their own animal, with crazed fans wanting to be in the stadium to see the magic happen.
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MSG is a special place for many reasons, the history, the uniqueness of the building and the fights that made it The Mecca of Boxing.
Fact Sheet:
Madison Square Garden I opening: 1879
Madison Square Garden II opening: 1890
Madison Square Garden III opening: Jan. 9, 1925
Madison Square Garden IIII opening: Feb. 11, 1968
Current Madison Square Garden capacity:
Boxing: 20,789
Basketball: 19,812
Ice hockey: 18,006
Pro wrestling: 18,500
Concerts: 20,000
Highest grossing fight (boxing) at the box office: Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis, 1999, $11 million
The beginning:
The original Madison Square Garden opened in 1879 to be mainly used for P.T. Barnum circuses. It had a capacity of 10,000 and was located near Madison Square Park. The first MSG didn't have a roof, and due to the inconveniences of bad weather, was knocked down in just 11 years, before being rebuilt.
Madison Square Garden II was designed by architect Stanford White. It was torn down to make room for what would become the Cass Gilbert-designed New York Life Building in 1925.
Madison Square Garden III is the house that Tex built. Groundbreaking on the third MSG occurred on Jan. 9, 1925, with money from boxing promoter Tex Richard. The arena was designed by Thomas W. Lamb, costing $4.75 million and taking 249 days.
Boxing was so popular in the United States and needed an arena to match its popularity. Madison Square Garden III was that arena.
If you wanted a fight to get noticed you fought at the Garden and for many boxers the moment they knew they made it was the moment they saw their name in lights at the historic arena.
The original 18.5-x18.5-foot ring, which was brought from the second and third MSG, was retired on Sept. 19, 2007 and now sits at the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Madison Square Garden IV opened Feb. 11, 1968 and went through a renovation in 2013.
Origins of boxing at MSG:
Boxing at MSG dates back to the late 1800s at the second version of Madison Square Garden.
Iconic fights at MSG:
There have been plenty of memorable fights at MSG. Here are the ones that have stood the test of time the most for different reasons:
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, "The Fight of the Century"
March 8, 1971
For Ali vs. Frazier, promoters had to institute a lottery system because the demand for tickets was so high; the atmosphere was so intense.
The fight marked the first time two undefeated fighters met for the world heavyweight title.
Ali and Frazier had both loyal supporters and serious haters. Ali was anti-establishment and anti-war movement, while Frazier represented the other side. The fight was a symbol of a larger generational clash and a divided crowd flooded into the Garden to watch the two greats battle it out.
A parade of fans stretched for blocks around the arena and people were dressed up for the event of the century. Frank Sinatra was even ringside as a photographer after being hired by a magazine to take photos of the event.
Frazier came into the fight 26–0 with 23 KOs and Ali entered the ring 31–0 with 25 KOs. Frazier won the fight via unanimous decision and the fight went the full 15-round championship distance.
Ali opened strong, dominating the first three rounds, but found himself in trouble over the final seconds of the third, when Frazier connected with a hook to Ali's jaw that snapped his neck back.
Ali started to look tired after the sixth and couldn't bring the same energy with his hits. In round eight, Frazier grabbed Ali by the wrists, swinging Ali into the center of the ring. Ali retaliated by grabbing Frazier and the two had to be separated.
In round 15 Frazier landed a left hook that put Ali on his back, sprawled out on the canvas. Ali was suffering from a severely swollen jaw, but was able to get back on his feet. Not long after Ali suffered multiple blows from Frazier, the judges officially awarded the title to "Smokin' Joe," who won by a unanimous decision, handing Ali his first professional loss.
This was the first of a trilogy of fights, the rematches both won by Ali.
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Jack Dempsey vs. Bill Brennan
Dec. 14, 1920
Jack Dempsey only fought once in the Garden, but it was a fight to remember. Dempsey was the heavy favorite going into the fight, but it was not as easy for the fighter as fans expected.
After 11 physical rounds, Dempsey got his KO against the fighter nicknamed "KO," Bill Brennan, in round 12.
Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta
Oct. 2, 1942
Sugar Ray Robinson won a unanimous 10-round decision. Many call Robinson the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time.
This was the first time that the two stars met, but it would not be the last.
Nino Benvenuti vs. Emile Griffith
April 17, 1967
Emile Griffith lost to Nino Benvenuti by unanimous decision in their 15-round fight. Benvenuti beat Emile Griffith to become the middleweight champion at Madison Square Garden. Griffith was knocked down in the second round and Benvenuti was knocked down in the fourth of that bout, which Ring Magazine called the 1967 Fight of The Year.
It marked the beginning of what would be a trilogy of fights to win the world middleweight title.
Joe Frazier vs. Buster Mathis
March 4, 1968
Joe Frazier entered the fight 19-0 with 17 KOs and Buster Mathis entered 23-0, also with 17 KOs.
Frazier beat Mathis via KO, which came at 2:33 of the 11th round, to become the heavyweight champion of the world. Frazier's knockout punch was so hard that it sent Mathis bloodied and over the bottom strand of the ropes. Somehow, Mathis got up, but the referee stopped the fight.
The crowd of 18,096 gated $658,500, which was a record at the time. The bout also included Emile Griffith vs. Nino Benvenuti III.
Roberto Duran vs. Benny Huertas
September 13, 1971
Duran knocked out Huertas in the first round of his first fight in America at MSG. The 20-year-old Duran came into the fight 25-0 and had four years of experience in the Panamanian fight circut.
The New York City fight crowd loved him and the Garden became his second home.
Roberto Duran vs. Ken Buchanan
June 26, 1972
Duran won his first world title by defeating WBA lightweight champion Buchanan. He beat Buchanan via a 13th-round TKO.
After the bell rang following the 13th round, Duran hit Buchanan with a low blow, causing him to sink toward the canvas in pain. Duran maintains that he won the fight with a legal hit.
Ali vs. Frazier II
Jan. 28, 1974
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier would take the ring together to face off at MSG once again nearly three years after their epic first fight.
Ali got revenge on Frazier in the rematch with a unanimous-decision victory.
Roberto Duran vs. Davey Moore
June 16, 1983
Moore's eye was swollen shut by the end of the sixth round and he was on the floor towards the end of the seventh. The fight was stopped in the eighth and Duran won his third world title.
Duran won without any trouble and the Garden crowd went crazy. It was also Duran's 32nd birthday and the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to the underdog winner as he stood in the ring with his fist up in glory.
The disgrace of "no mas," where he stopped a fight against Sugar Ray Leonard by saying "no more" in Spanish, was gone. (Though in a 2016 interview he said the quote was actually "No sigo" meaning "I won't go on.)
Mike Tyson vs. Mitch Green
May 20, 1986
Mike Tyson came into the fight 20-0, while Mitch Green stood at 16-1-1. With both of the fighters being from New York, the fight was billed as "New York Is Busting Out." It was Tyson's first fight at MSG and Green was a heated rival of his.
Tyson was unable to record a KO, but was in control for the majority of the fight.
In a lopsided unanimous decision, Tyson won the fight.
The two would never get in the ring together again, but did take part in a notorious street fight two years later.
Arturo Gatti vs. Wilson Rodriguez
March 23, 1996
Arturo Gatti was struggling through five rounds, but avoided a loss by knocking out Wilson Rodriguez in the sixth.
The fight was named fight of the year by Ring Magazine. It was Gatti's first defense of the IBF featherweight championship.
Bernard Hopkins vs. Felix Trinidad
Sept. 29, 2001
This fight was one of the first major sporting events in New York after the 9/11 attacks and both fighters honored those who had fallen before the bout.
An underdog Bernard Hopkins defeated Felix Trinidad with an 11th-round TKO, as one of the signature wins of his historic career.
Miguel Cotto vs. Zab Judah
June 9, 2007
The fight titled "X-Plosive" lived up to its name with WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto defeating Zab Judah by 11th-round TKO. It was Cotto's biggest win in front of his biggest audience and was arguably the biggest fight of the year.
Judah trailed 97-91 on the scorecards and blamed his loss on two clear low blows — one in the first round and one in the third. The first shot put Judah on the ground in the first round. The referee warned Cotto, but that would not be his last low blow of the night. During the third round, Cotto landed another below-the-belt shot and was deducted a point.
By round 10, Judah was bleeding from a cut over his eye and was injured from an uppercut. Judah managed to get up after every drop to the canvas, but as Cotto turned him sideways along the ropes while throwing punches, the ref was forced to stop the fight.
Iconic boxers to fight at MSG (honorable mentions):
When you think of boxing and MSG, there are a few names that immediately jump out. While most of those iconic fighters are listed above, there are a few others that cannot go unmentioned.
Mark Anthony Breland
Breland was one of the best amateur boxers and was the first man to win five consecutive Golden Gloves titles. He brought Golden Gloves to the next level and ended his career with a 110-1 amateur ledger. He was also in the audience for Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, one of the most iconic events in Garden history.
Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong
Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong fought at MSG 37 times between the two of them. The two got in the ring together once, too, in a fight that Robinson won in 10 rounds back in August 1943.
Armstrong became the first and only man to hold titles in three weight divisions at once with consecutive fights in 1938. He was the featherweight champion and added welterweight and lightweight champion to his resume as well.
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Career ending at MSG:
Joe Louis vs. Rocky Marciano Brockton Blockbuster
October 26, 1951
Marciano was indomitable, young and ready to take on the much older Joe Louis, who was coming out of retirement. Louis, once the best boxer, went down hard in the ring. The boxing great was knocked through the ropes unable to overcome his age.
Many who were at the fight have the image of his bald spot going down, a metaphor for Father Time catching up to him. It was a sad night for boxing fans who watched Louis fight his final match at MSG.
Joe Louis was down and done for good. He retired at MSG.
Death by fight at MSG:
March 24, 1962
Emile Griffith and Benny "Kid" Paret had their fair share of beef before the fight. Paret got caught up in the ropes during the 12th round and took a beating that would eventually kill him. He died 10 days later.
Riot at MSG:
Riddick Bowe vs. Andrew Golota
July 11, 1996
Early in the fight, it became clear that Bowe was outmatched, as Golota threw and landed more punches.
Golota was dominating, but struggling to keep his punches above the belt line, resulting in a warning from referee Wayne Kelly during the second round and two more in the third round. Kelly then deducted a point from Golota in the fourth, when the Polish fighter dropped Bowe to the ground with a shot below the belt. Bowe was given time to recover and three minutes later got up to continue the fight.
Golota did not take the warnings too seriously and lost another point in the sixth round for another low hit — this time getting a disqualification threat from Kelly. Golota hit Bowe below the belt for the final time in the seventh round causing him to be disqualified for excessive low blows. Golota was the dominant fighter that bout, but was unable to get the victory due to going against the referee's warnings, thus giving Bowe the painful win via disqualification.
At the end of the fight, Bowe's camp went into the ring and went up to Golota, with one security member pushing him from behind. Golota fired back and started throwing punches at the man who had pushed him. Another man started hitting Golota in the head with a walkie-talkie, cutting the fighter.
It didn't take too long for Golota's fans to enter the scrap and go after Bowe's entourage, which was punching back. The announcing table was destroyed in the brawl, making HBO announcer Jim Lampley head up to higher levels of the Garden.
Announcers Larry Merchant and George Foreman stayed ringside and Foreman even tried to stop the riot in the ring. By the end of the fight, 10 arrests were made, eight policemen were injured and nine spectators were hospitalized.
Controversy at MSG:
Holyfield vs. Lewis
March 13, 1999
Before the fight, Holyfield said he would knock Lewis out in the third round. He stuck by this claim saying “he’s outta here” before the third round. The third round knockout didn't happen and Holyfield started looking like an old fighter.
While Lewis appeared to be the winner of the bout, the judges saw otherwise, with two calling it a draw and only one selecting Lewis. The crowd was not happy with the draw and let the judges know about it. In a rematch set in Las Vegas eight months later, Lewis was given the unanimous decision many believed should have happened at the Garden.
Next fight at MSG:
Canelo Alvarez vs. Rocky Fielding
December 15, 2018
The 28-year-old Alvarez comes into the fight with a record of 50-1-2 with 34 KOs.
Alvarez notable victories: Gennady Golovkin this past September, Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto and “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
Alvarez's only loss: A September 2013 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The 31-year-old Fielding enters the bout as the WBA super middleweight champion, equipped with a 27-1 record with 15 KOs.
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Fielding's only loss: A TKO defeat to Callum Smith in November 2015.