{"id":8135,"date":"2011-02-27T12:38:50","date_gmt":"2011-02-27T17:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=8135"},"modified":"2026-03-19T10:49:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:49:56","slug":"a-night-out-at-the-circus-a-look-back-at-closed-circuit-boxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=8135","title":{"rendered":"A Night Out at the Circus: A Look Back at Closed Circuit Boxing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1545664804358300\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1545664804358300\" data-ad-slot=\"8616314829\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=8135\" rel=\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=8135\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8136\" style=\"margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;\" title=\"CC (Copy)\" src=\"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/CC-Copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"232\" height=\"169\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I remember the day when boxing was a regular network television occurrence. Catching a glimpse of a mainstream marquee name in action wasn\u2019t something akin to spotting the Loch Ness Monster. Classic match-ups were regular television fare for fight fans back in the day. It was a time when our thirst for boxing was easily quenched. Often, all that was needed was a set of rabbit ears and a TV Guide and you\u2019d be on your way.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>While network television covered 80% of the sport\u2019s notable bouts, the match-ups that stirred the collective imagination of fans around the world and inspired them to shell out hard-earned dollars were reserved exclusively for closed circuit television. Mega match-ups on the order of \u201cSugar\u201d Ray Leonard\u2019s story book comeback against reigning middleweight king Marvelous Marvin Hagler, \u201cGentleman\u201d Gerry Cooney\u2019s challenge of Larry Holmes or \u201cThe Fight of the Century, \u201cSmokin\u201d Joe Frazier versus Muhammad Ali were the type of blockbuster match-ups reserved for closed circuit treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) is a television transmission system in which live or pre-recorded signals are sent over a closed loop to a finite and predetermined group of receivers, either via coaxial cable or as scrambled radio waves that are unscrambled at the point of reception. The predetermined group of receivers ranged typically from that of a local theatre, your favourite watering hole or as often in my case, the old Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.<\/p>\n<p>It seems like a lifetime ago since I had to endure the rigors of attending a closed circuit boxing telecast. Often, the magnitude of the event predetermined the lengths to which I\u2019d go to catch the action live. Usually it came down to me scanning the local paper in the weeks before the given match to get an idea of where I could buy tickets. For the most part, I recall spending anywhere from $29.99 to around $50.00 for the opportunity to be sardined amongst the black sheep of all sports fans for the sake of satisfying my hardcore curiosity. And that\u2019s only if you planned ahead. Waiting until the last minute and leaving your fate in the hands of a scalper could spell trouble, as I once found out. Nobody cries alligator tears for those suckered into a $120.00 seat and a ninety-one second blowout.<\/p>\n<p>Considerations thereafter, such as parking, concessions and who I\u2019d be going with typically added anywhere from fifty to 50 to 100% to the expenditures of the evening. More often than not, investing in a closed circuit boxing event in my city was like opening a box of Crackerjacks. As I found out over time, it really didn\u2019t matter how good the seats you purchased were. Sometimes the screen for an entire arena seemed no bigger than something a wayward uncle would use in his moldy basement when featuring home movies of that infamous trip to the beach or vacation you spent years trying to forget. And if you managed to score cheaper seats, heaven forbid, the screen would seem even smaller; no bigger than the display on a Nintendo Game Boy \u2013 a solid one-hundred or more feet away from where you sat. Then there was the quality of the picture. Screen size aside, the picture often left much to be desired. The term \u201chigh definition\u201d had nothing to do with the experience and often the audio quality was on par with the cracked, single radio speaker in my grandfather\u2019s 1960 Pontiac Strato Chief station wagon.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong. The inconveniences aside, I\u2019ve always come away from a closed circuit experience with a good time under my belt for one reason or another.<\/p>\n<p>I recall having to choose between going out with a young lady I had been in hot pursuit of for months, or attending the closed circuit telecast of Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney in 1982. It was, at the time, a match-up of gigantic proportions. Needless to say, it was a bout for the World heavyweight title, and I wasn\u2019t about to let my loins undermine what I perceived to be history in the making.<\/p>\n<p>Cooney was incredibly hyped as a real life Rocky whereas Holmes was regarded as some type of black hat-wearing train robber. Going up the escalators in the old Maple Leaf Gardens was a surreal event on that occasion. The place was loaded with hopeful closet-Irish loudly extolling the virtues of their man in Gerry Cooney. I was questioned by at least a half dozen aging drunkards on \u201cwhich round will Gerry end it\u201d or \u201care you pulling for Gerry\u201d. By the time James \u201cQuick\u201d Tillis had won his preliminary bout against an aging fraction of Earnie Shavers, I had seen a handful of alcohol induced impromptu bouts between the aging, the overweight and the generally inappropriate. By the time \u201cThe Easton Assassin\u201d had thoroughly mugged and beaten the proverbial stuffing out of Cooney, the relative silence was deafening.<\/p>\n<p>On April 6th, 1987, I again found myself at Toronto\u2019s historic Maple Leaf Gardens, this time for \u201cSugar\u201d Ray Leonard\u2019s challenge of Marvelous Marvin Hagler. There were local celebrities of every kind dressed to kill occupying many of the expensive floor seats. I had managed to buddy-up with just about every seated fan within a thirty foot perimeter, hard-pressed to find anybody that gave Leonard a chance to pull off the upset. Within minutes, side bets were being placed with a balding middle-aged East Indian fan that had Hagler pegged as all but finished. I\u2019ll never forget hearing this guy yell instructions at Ray throughout the early rounds, as though he were Leonard\u2019s trainer, and later his non-stop \u201cI told you so\u201d aimed at anyone and everyone as he collected his seemingly considerable winnings.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps my most memorable closed circuit experience was in September 1993 at the now defunct Triumph Hotel in Toronto for Julio Cesar Chavez\u2019 challenge of Pernell \u201cSweet Pea\u201d Whitaker for Whitaker\u2019s WBC welterweight title. It was one of those Don King mega-cards, the kind he became famous for churning out during Mike Tyson\u2019s initial period of imprisonment. We were all stuffed into a medium-sized ballroom and for the most part, everybody was standing as opposed to sitting.<\/p>\n<p>Terry Norris had just blown out an ill-equipped Joe Gatti through the ropes seconds into the 1st round to defend his WBC light middleweight title when a tall well-dressed man in front of me turned around and asked aloud, \u201cwho was that guy?\u201d, in reference to the fallen Gatti. That well-dressed man turned out to be Kris Kristofferson, and as I went on to learn over the course of the night, he was a huge fight fan. Looking back, Kristofferson was perhaps more interested in the shapely young lady that accompanied me to the telecast as opposed to my observations throughout the evening, but it didn\u2019t really matter to me. I managed to get his thoughts on Azumah Nelson, Jesse James Leija and the blatant robbery better known as Whitaker vs. Chavez.<\/p>\n<p>Today, there can be no question about the inherent advantages of pay per view. There are no parking fees or line-ups for concessions. The menu is completely up to you and the price for refreshments simply can\u2019t be beat. You will almost always have the best seat in the house and you\u2019ll usually have a say in who you wish to have over to share the moment.<\/p>\n<p>But I have to tell you, despite all the ruckus and general rigmarole associated with an evening spent on a closed circuit boxing telecast, I almost always came away with a story to tell and a fond memory to reflect upon. Along the way I even made a few friends. There was a charm and the side effect of unexpected camaraderie when being shouldered with hundreds of other fans that Pay Per View simply doesn\u2019t offer. Looking back, closed circuit boxing was a great night out and in many ways, a trip to the circus.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Closed circuit boxing also inspired a lot of people to take up boxing for themselves, as it showed how powerful it can be, and how anyone can work their way up to the top. As events were usually quite local, you may have even recognised people who stepped into the ring, which helped it to feel more grounded. Even though things have changed now, televised boxing matches have also helped to heighten boxing\u2019s appeal, and when you combine this with how accessible gear is now, it\u2019s safe to say that boxing is taking off now more than ever. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fairtexstore.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fairtex Store &#8211; Boxing Gloves<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> range for example offers something for everyone, from beginner boxers to experts. Not only does this help new boxers rise through the ranks, it also means experienced boxers have gear they can count on. In any sense, it\u2019s safe to say that boxing wouldn\u2019t be the sport it is today if it wasn\u2019t for closed circuit boxing, and the people who put themselves on the line to give audiences a true spectacle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Welcome To The &quot;Bad&quot; Brad Berkwitt Show\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SI1AfkBrG3I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808000;\"><a style=\"color: #808000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.authorhouse.com\/en\/bookstore\/bookdetails\/232300-BOXING-INTERVIEWS-OF-A-LIFETIME\">Click Here to Order Boxing Interviews Of A Lifetime By &#8220;Bad&#8221; Brad Berkwitt<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wpforms-container wpforms-container-full\" id=\"wpforms-126533\"><form id=\"wpforms-form-126533\" class=\"wpforms-validate wpforms-form wpforms-ajax-form\" data-formid=\"126533\" method=\"post\" enctype=\"multipart\/form-data\" action=\"\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F8135\" data-token=\"aad802805d30a6a75ea2917a9f1bb412\" data-token-time=\"1778494375\"><noscript class=\"wpforms-error-noscript\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.<\/noscript><div class=\"wpforms-field-container\">\t\t<div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_4-container\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-text\"\n\t\t\tdata-field-type=\"text\"\n\t\t\tdata-field-id=\"4\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-126533-field_4\" >Comment Email Message<\/label>\n\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_4\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][4]\" >\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_1-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-name\" data-field-id=\"1\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\">Name <span class=\"wpforms-required-label\">*<\/span><\/label><div class=\"wpforms-field-row wpforms-field-medium\"><div class=\"wpforms-field-row-block wpforms-first wpforms-one-half\"><input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_1\" class=\"wpforms-field-name-first wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][1][first]\" required><label for=\"wpforms-126533-field_1\" class=\"wpforms-field-sublabel after\">First<\/label><\/div><div class=\"wpforms-field-row-block wpforms-one-half\"><input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_1-last\" class=\"wpforms-field-name-last wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][1][last]\" required><label for=\"wpforms-126533-field_1-last\" class=\"wpforms-field-sublabel after\">Last<\/label><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_2-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-email\" data-field-id=\"2\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-126533-field_2\">Email <span class=\"wpforms-required-label\">*<\/span><\/label><input type=\"email\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_2\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][2]\" spellcheck=\"false\" required><\/div><div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_3-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-textarea\" data-field-id=\"3\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-126533-field_3\">Comment or Message<\/label><textarea id=\"wpforms-126533-field_3\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][3]\" ><\/textarea><\/div><script>\n\t\t\t\t( function() {\n\t\t\t\t\tconst style = document.createElement( 'style' );\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle.appendChild( document.createTextNode( '#wpforms-126533-field_4-container { position: absolute !important; 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Catching a glimpse of a mainstream marquee name in action wasn\u2019t something akin to spotting the Loch Ness Monster. Classic match-ups were regular television fare for fight fans back in the day. It was a time when our thirst for boxing was easily [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[105,2784],"class_list":["post-8135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-boxing","tag-closed-circuit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8135"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133563,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8135\/revisions\/133563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}