“I’m hoping everything will be OK, but I’ll be watching it like a hawk,” Councilman Bob Yousefian said.
Professional fighting was banned in 1947 after the City Council, under pressure from residents who said the form of entertainment was “unwholesome,” denied a request to hold a boxing match in the city.
Dave Weaver was the only member of the council to disapprove of the most recent request, saying he was “philosophically uncomfortable” with professional fights.
Still, he did not dispute the contention of proponents who said the ban was short-changing the ability of local fighters, and their young trainees, to fight in front of local fans.
“I know my city’s changing; it’s not the city I grew up in,” Weaver said.
City officials, under pressure from the council to take as many precautions as possible to ensure a smooth event, reviewed a litany of conditions included in the proposed contract.
Harutyunyan’s promotion company would have to supply eight door monitors and four private security guards, and cover the cost of five Glendale Police units, including a canine and a fire marshal.
So far, the event is planned to be smoke-free, and beer and wine sales will end at 9 p.m., one hour before the end of the last match, according to the proposal.
Traffic officials would also direct motorists leaving the event away from a nearby residential neighborhood and to the major road arteries out of the city, such as the nearby Glendale (2) Freeway.
Capacity for the event would be capped at 1,100 people — a relatively modest size for the Civic Auditorium, city officials said.
