Can The Upcoming Youth, Save Los Angeles' Fading Boxing Scene?

Los Angeles was the Mecca of boxing in the early 1900s with names such as James Jeffries to Jack Johnson to “Schoolboy” Bobby Chacon. Venues such as the Hollywood Legion and Olympic entertained not only celebrities all week but the entire boxing community within Los Angeles.

Boxing then revolutionised commercially with the introduction of Muhammad Ali, Roberto Duran and Joe Frazier to name a few and despite many world title fights moving to the likes of Madison Square Garden and Las Vegas, Los Angeles was still a staple king in the world of boxing. The likes of Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and other greats within the past 40-50 years have all fought at historic locations within Los Angeles. The City of Angels was a hub for boxers and promoters around the world, but that hub has changed drastically to what it once was.

Within the last 15 years Los Angeles has seen its very own success in talent Including 6 weight world champion Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas and “Sugar” Shane Mosley. The Forum and Staples centre has been a lineage for Los Angeles and Mexican-American boxers. However a once legendary venue, the Forum has recently cast a shadow of its former-self, one of the catalysts for the decline of boxing in LA. Saudi involvement In boxing has moved World Title and mega-fights away from Los Angeles, Vegas and New York leaving the 3 kings of boxing a desolate of what it once was.

However there is a glimmer of hope for LA Boxing. While Saudi-boxing focuses on creating the best mega fights at the highest level, boxing has somewhat been neglected at the development stages leaving future talent and young fighters struggling to make a name for themselves.

One gym that has been an emerging and ever-present staple in youth boxing is the Matchroom Churchill’s Boxing Gym. Located in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, the gym is filled with young boxers and up and coming world title challengers. The gym led by head trainer Pedro Santiago Jr. encompasses boxers such as 6-0 Lightweight prospect Criztec Bazaldua, 12-1-1 Jalen (Skywalker) Walker, 3-0 Irish-born Brandon McCarthy, Angel “Lightning” Ruiz (18(13)-3-1) and his younger brother Jorge Ruiz as well as numerous other prospects. Gym’s such as Churchills, who recently signed a deal with Matchroom boxing to become the official Mathcroom boxing gym of the United States, is a cornerstone in Los Angeles boxing and a necessity to keep LA boxing afloat.

Chruchills boxing gym has done an exemplary effort to engage with its community, recently hosting a community event with the Santa Monica Police department, hosted by Eddie Hearn to support and help the kids in the area. It is heartfelt to see that while Los Angeles boxing scene is still steadily thriving, local gym’s such as Churchills are raising the crop of the newest generation. A generation that is overlooked in current boxing today. 

Will gyms such as Churchill's be enough to bring a mecca of boxing back to its former self? I think with the current under development of boxing, it will take some rebuilding to reach the level and prestige of boxing that LA once had. While Los Angeles will always be engrained in boxing fan's minds as one of the best locations within boxing, commercialism and heaps of money has created a suprising new mecca of boxing, in Saudi Arabia.

Charlie Curran.