By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
In boxing, you can’t put a price on a championship breakthrough moment. Except Resorts World Las Vegas is betting it can try. Headlined by Kazakh southpaw, Janibek Alimkhanuly (11-0, 7 KOs) taking on Danny Dignum (14-0-1, 8 Kos) from Essex, England, the $4.2 billion mega resort anchoring the north end of the Las Vegas Strip loaned its colossal marque to Las Vegas-based boxing promoter Top Rank Boxing. The WBO middleweight interim title fight ended in a monster left uppercut in front of a lively crowd inside the Resorts World Event Center.
Earlier this year, property president Scott Sibella said, “As we developed Resorts World Las Vegas, entertainment was always an integral piece of our business strategy, and as part of that, we envisioned having major sporting events take place on our property. We’re thrilled to be partnering with an industry leader like Top Rank to host this event and look forward to welcoming fans to the first-ever Resorts World Las Vegas fight night event.”
The resort hasn’t even been opened for a year and it has already hosted its second primetime boxing affair. Billed as a 72,000-square-foot, open-air event and entertainment space, the boxing venue hosted the ten-card ESPN-televised event, with tickets starting at $25. The prices ran to a modest $100 on the high end.
Fighters like Janibek can often be avoided until they have more mileage and are less dangerous. Top Rank has a champion with real firepower on its roster. However, founder Bob Arum and his team may need to be a bit creative with matchmaking as other belt holders circle the ring for a while.
The road less traveled is the most familiar path for most boxers. The sport has been a beacon, pulling men and women from incredibly difficult environments. Along with talent, God-given physical gifts, a ton of hard work, a bit of luck helps. “I think I’m one of the most avoided fighters; many will step aside,” the 29-year-old Janibek said during the fight week press conference.
For its second stint inside the Resorts World Event Center, Top Rank presented a night filled with Olympians like Janibek and other up-and-comers. The promotion signed every male boxer from the U.S. 2020 Olympics to its roster. Several of whom including Duke Regan, Karlos Balderos, and Delante “Tiger” Johnson appeared on Saturday’s card.
The co-feature offered 2012 Olympian Jamel Herring a former WBO junior lightweight world champion. Herring lost a tough 10-rounder against undefeated NABF title holder Jamain Ortiz, Herring, 36, may have competed in his final professional boxing competition. The former Marine and fan favorite is known as one of the sport’s good guys. While still in the ring after the fight he said, “I’m a proud man. I don’t know maybe that’s it.” Herring continued through his Twitter account, “I love this sport, but I owe it to my family to quit putting them through these moments.”
The Resorts World Event Center is also positioning itself as a viable partner for promoters like Top Rank to introduce names to the boxing landscape. Rising lightweight Giovanni Cabrera (20-0, 7 Kos), a former Chicago Golden Gloves champion, came close to qualifying for the 2016 Olympics. Saturday night in Las Vegas, Cabrera topped Elias Araujo in a 10-round decision.
The 27-year-old who is managed by highly respected Steven Feder and trained by Hall of Famer Freddy Roach, expressed appreciation for his journey taking him through the swanky Las Vegas facility.
“Growing up I wanted to be a champion. You can’t want to be at the top of the boxing world and not fight in this city. Las Vegas is still the capital of the fighting world; there isn’t any place like it. It’s different than other cities because there’s so much experience here. The venue, here, everyone I encountered at Resorts World made everything seamless.”
Feder, a longtime boxing veteran, has seen many venues around the world. “Anytime you get to a fresh place, it’s a memorable experience. Especially with a kid like this. He has massive potential. He got himself to 18-0 with minimal help. His previous trainers gave him a good foundation, now he’s with a world class team led by Freddy Roach.”
As of today, there aren’t any additional boxing events scheduled for Top Rank through 2022. However, a return to Resorts World Las Vegas hasn’t been ruled out either.
PSA