“It teaches them discipline,” he said.
Mayor Frank Quintero, a longtime fan of professional boxing, attended the highly anticipated California Athletics Commission-sanctioned fight night.
“I just want it to be successful and good entertainment,” he said.
Friday’s event was the first boxing match Councilwoman Laura Friedman had ever attended.
She said she had been looking forward to the professional night of fighting.
“This is not amateur boxing,” Friedman said. “These guys are professional. They have doctors. They are trained.”
The City Council in March approved a one-year trial period, allowing professional fighting events, which were banned in 1947 following pressure from residents who said boxing was “unwholesome.”
But the council’s approval didn’t come without concerns. Council members wanted to ensure the event, which was sponsored by Harutyunyan’s Glendale-based Art of Boxing Promotions, went as smoothly as possible.
Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz and other city officials have been working together around the clock to make sure the event doesn’t become a headache for local residents.
“We are there to make sure people have the most fun as possible,” Lorenz said.
Traffic and parking concerns were listed as potential problems that needed to be addressed before the first punch was thrown at Friday’s event.
Three police officers, a sergeant and a police dog and handler were assigned to the event to make sure traffic didn’t overflow onto nearby residential streets.
Ethel Street resident Sandra Bates has seen the effects of large-scale events at the auditorium and was concerned about Friday’s bout.
