Boxing ban put in corner

“I don’t mind. I like pressure. I can handle it,” Harutyunyan said in response to the concessions. “I’m ready to prove them wrong, or at least some of them.”

The margin for error, at least for the council, is slim.

The test plan was approved on a 4-0 vote, but only after Councilman Bob Yousefian made it clear he was reserving final judgment until after he had more information on anticipated city impacts.

Councilman Dave Weaver, who left the meeting before the vote, said he would vote against any change to the current prohibitions.

“Maybe I’m old-fashioned. . . . I just don’t want professional boxing in Glendale,” he said. “It’s just how I feel.”

With Mayor John Drayman’s caution over “bucking a 61-year-old tradition” and Councilman Ara Najarian’s public safety concerns, Harutyunyan stands to have his first sanctioned event in Glendale closely scrutinized, officials said.

“If it’s not something that’s totally acceptable, [the temporary exemption] would sunset immediately,” Najarian told the audience.

Once city officials return with the official reports in late November, along with the code amendment to temporarily lift the ban, Harutyunyan said he would need only about two months to plan and promote an event at the auditorium.

 JASON WELLS covers City Hall. He may be reached at (818) 637-3235 or by e-mail at jason.wells@latimes.com.