Editorial:

When local promoter Kahren Harutyunyan persuaded the City Council more than a year ago to give him a shot at hosting a professional boxing match at the Civic Auditorium, the pressure was on.

The Police Department mobilized to ensure the event wouldn’t turn into the mess people thought it might have made decades ago — the reason for the ban on pro fighting in the first place. Neighbors were on high alert for any impact to their streets, and then on the night of the match, everyone pretty much held their breath.

But by all accounts, there was a collective exhale. There were no riots, raucous partying, or drug or gambling busts. The possible “unwholesome” effect that begat the ban in the 1960s appeared to be a dud.

And why shouldn’t it be? As most of the City Council surmised this week in voting to lift the pro-boxing ban, this is 2010, in a generation where even PG-13 movies can make two men punching each other look like a tea party.

Glendale is also home to a number of decorated fighters who until now have had to duck under the ropes on foreign turf. No homecoming, no home-turf advantage. As a result, the city’s also missed out on a potential revenue source, not to mention exposure. No more: ESPN picked up Harutyunyan’s second match at the Civic Auditorium.

And personal feelings aside on the merits of beating each other to a pulp — one of the oldest forms of sport — one cannot deny the athleticism required.

With a structured evaluation process in place for match permits and an attentive City Council looking on, the odds are slim of Glendale turning into some kind of Vegas-style Ground Zero for gambling and all the other cliche trappings of professional fighting.

Meanwhile, the city gets an added source of revenue, boys (and girls) have something closer to aspire to, and Glendale fighters get a much-deserved shot at greater hometown glory.