CITY
Local promoter Kahren Harutyunyan emerged victorious Tuesday night after the City Council pledged to lift a 62-year-old ban on professional boxing for a one-year trial period at the Civic Auditorium.
Harutyunyan, a champion boxer and owner of Glendale-based Art of Boxing Promotions, had been lobbying the council to allow pro-fighting matches in a city that has produced numerous champions.
On Tuesday, four City Council members said they would vote to approve the one-year trial period next week, but warned that they would be watching the first fight — tentatively scheduled for June 12 — for any hint of negative impact to the city.
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.
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.
And at a time when the city is putting pressure on departments to increase revenues, the event is expected to bring in a net profit of roughly $9,000.
The ongoing saga between the city and the owners of a Montrose banquet hall appeared headed back to court Wednesday, a day after the City Council voted to revoke a permit allowing the restaurant to operate with reduced parking.
