Bob Arum recalled the first time he wanted to go to Radio City Music Hall to see a show and causing an uproar at his house in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
?I wanted to go to this Easter Bunny show at Radio City,? Arum said. ?There was quite a philosophical debate in my house whether it was appropriate for a Jewish kid to go to a Christian-based show.?
Finally, Arum was allowed to see the show.
?After a while they decided how Christian could the Easter Bunny really be?? he said.
The ornate Art Deco theater made a lasting impression on Arum, who figures he was 6 or 7 years old at the time.
After he became a boxing promoter, Arum ? the CEO of Top Rank ? always thought about the iconic venues of his youth ? Radio City, Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium ? and dreamed of what it would be like to stage boxing matches there. So far he has promoted shows at the Garden and Yankee Stadium.
After more than 40 years in the business, Arum will bring his first promotion to Radio City when Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux meet in a junior featherweight championship match on HBO on Saturday night.
It is the second time that a boxing match has been staged at Radio City. Roy Jones Jr. defended his light heavyweight title against David Telesco there on Jan. 15, 2000.
?Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium and Radio City Music Hall are iconic locations,? Arum said. ?I was always blown away when my parents took me to these places when I was a kid. I remember going to the Garden when it was on 50th St. and they?d have minor-league hockey on Saturday morning and you could get in for 10 cents. I never dreamed I?d be promoting (Muhammad) Ali in the Garden or at Yankee Stadium.?
There is a reason there haven?t been many boxing matches at Radio City, which is a sought-after destination for music superstars and home to the Rockettes. The costs are astronomical, and most boxing promoters are interested in turning a profit. Arum said it cost $180,000 before any other expenses were set for the venue and $25,000 if you want your event to appear on the marquee on 6th Ave.
?The costs are unbelievable,? he said. ?It?s more expensive than any place in the world (to promote a match). I thought the Garden was expensive. But this fulfills a dream, and money isn?t everything.?
Arum said he doesn?t know how this Radio City show will rank with others he has staged at the Garden and Yankee Stadium. He said he will reflect later.
?I look back at the shows at Yankee Stadium and think about how Ali-(Ken) Norton was the last boxing show to be held at the old Yankee Stadium and there was a police strike on the night of the fight,? he said. ?And I think about how (Miguel) Cotto-(Yuri) Foreman was the first boxing match to be held at the new Yankee Stadium and it was the first time that the Israeli national anthem was sang at the Stadium. I?m sure after this show is over I will reflect on it more.?
It is dream of every boxing promoter to be a part of an event that has historical importance. In modern boxing, Arum and Don King have been associated with some of the biggest promotions in the sport ? the Thrilla in Manila, the Rumble in the Jungle, (Marvin) Hagler-(Ray) Leonard and Leonard-(Roberto) Duran.
In recent years, King has slowed down, handling just a handful of boxers and doing fewer fights. But Arum, 81, shows no signs of slowing down.
Arum was in China last week, promoting a show that includes his latest client, Zou Shiming, China?s first Olympic boxing gold medalist who recently turned pro.
?China is boxing?s next big market,? Arum said. ?There is really an appreciation for the sport there and they don?t have the prejudice against the smaller guys like they do in America. They loved the 112-pound match between (Brian) Viloria and (Juan) Estrada.?
A rum flew to New York on Monday to begin promoting Donaire-Rigondeaux at Radio City. He expects the show to be a sellout.
?This is really different, because there?s only been one other boxing show at Radio City,? Arum said. ?If this were a purely economic situation we were well advised to do it on the West Coast. But we decided because this was such an iconic location it was well worth the extra cost. An old man gets to realize his dream.?
