Stories from the Closed Circuit era???

The only closed circuit events I attended were Leonard/Hagler and Tyson/Spinks

These were outdoors at Charlestown Raceway in WVA.

There was a short window where you had PPV and Closed Circuit coexisting.

 

Never really knew what Americans were on about With closed circuit.they had some in London I think ali against Brian.London was.one not a success I believe.

 

The night I moved to Nashville to begin my first full-time job after college was the night of Leonard-Hagler on CC.

I saw an ad in the paper and went down to the municipal auditorium and bought a ticket. Didn't know a soul in town. Didn't even have a phone yet if I had.

I got there late, at the end of the undercard (can't recall who fought) and it was pretty packed. To find a decent angle at the big screen, I just sat in an aisle. After a little while, someone with an open seat hollered at me and invited me to sit with his crew.

Everyone was really nice, talked a lot of boxing with the people around me up until the start of the fight. I recall it being about a 50-50 split as far as who people were rooting for, and it would get loud whenever either fighter did something.

I had, back at my hometown, driven about an hour several times for PPV fights -- Duran-Leonard I and II, Leonard-Hearns, I think Hearns-Hagler and Holmes-****ey and some more.

On the one hand, I guess it was inconvenient to have to drive to the fights like that, but I don't remember it that way. I always went either with fight fans I knew or with my father and we'd always talk boxing all the way up and talk about the fights all the way back. And at the CC, it was more like being at the fight live -- you were sitting with people you didn't know but they were fight fans, you got the roar of the crowd, you were there with a few thousand people who all cared.

I get the convenience of being able to watch in my own living room and maybe inviting my Pop or a friend or two over, but I miss those days.

 

Went to a bunch at the old Spectrum in Philly. I think the first one was the Thriller, also Ali-Norton III, Frazier-Foremen II. Last one was Hagler-Hearns. I remember the 1st round, the roar beginning and just building with intensity to a crescendo throughout the round. Never heard anything like it before or since.:happy

 

I was a kid during the 80's and went to quite a few with my Uncle. The Holmes vs. C0oney fight went to B&W when we lost color around the Berbick vs Page fight. There were maybe 500 in the crowd and I was one of perhaps 2 people who were cheering for Holmes. Awkward, but I felt smug after the fight even though I was only 10.

Leonard vs. Hagler and Hagler vs. Hearns we had to watch in the basement "family room" because they didn't let kids around the booze.

Leonard vs. LaLonde and Leonard vs Hearns I watch at an Elk's Club with 80 year olds. That actually was the funnest because they were some really hard core fight fans.

Leonard vs Duran 3 I got kicked out of the bar for not being 18. At the time I was livid but looking back I can see that I saved myself 3 hours of my life from that borefest of a card.

I much prefer being able to watch at home.

 

I was at the closed circuit broadcast of ****ey Spinks. A loudmouth white guy in front of me was shouting how easily Gerry would ko Spinks. He bet the three black guys around him big bucks Gerry would win. Five rounds later ****ey was a bleeding hulk and as soon as the bout was stopped the white guy jumped up and ran for the front entrance. He was tackled to the ground and given a good beating when he told them he did not have the money to pay his debt.

 

That was the first fight card I ever saw on PPV. I think it was like $39.95 which was pretty steep even for back then.

That ****ey fan you speak of was dumb as hell, because to me an 18 yr old "white guy", it was apparent Spinks would easily beat ****ey. I thought he would do it by easy decision or late stoppage though. I was kind of surprised at how easy and early he did it.

They shouldn't have kicked his a@@ though.

 

lollllllllll

 

:smoke

 

I had a similar-to-CC experience for Floyd-Canelo.

Was in Texas on business. Spend the afternoon calling sports bars to see who was going to have it and found a place a couple of exits from our hotel.
Went with two colleagues and when we got there (just before the main event, we got something to eat first) and it was pretty much SRO.

I happily paid for our $15-each admission (my colleagues are casual boxing fans and they were nice enough to indulge me by going to watch). Quickly realized that us three and a couple of waitresses were the only ones who spoke English, haha. We found a good place to stand and watch one of the two huge screens (it was also on lots of smaller ones).

Lots of whooping and hollering by the local pro-Canelo crowd early but it got pretty silent by about the fourth or fifth round. I was for Mayweather but decided not to go overboard cheering, haha. Fun night all in all.