For decades, Glendale has banned professional boxing, fearing it would bring the wrong element to the city.
But on Tuesday, the City Council may permanently lift the ban, with some critics even saying they think it’s a good idea.
A wary City Council last year voted to temporarily lift a 62-year ban on pro boxing matches in the city after promoters and local boxers lobbied to open up the Glendale market.
The yearlong trial period’s two events ran smoothly and generated about $20,000 in revenue for the Glendale Civic Auditorium — two reasons why city officials are recommending that the City Council approve permanently lifting the ban, according to a city report.
Both events were produced by local fighter and promoter Kahren Karutyunyan’s Art of Boxing Productions, with the second match nationally televised on ESPN.
“That gave great exposure to the promoter, the city and the Civic Auditorium,” Brittney Bilotti, community services administrator with the Community Services and Parks department, told the Glendale News-Press.
— Melanie Hicken
Photo: A poster from one of the Art of Boxing events in Glendale.