San Francisco event aims to top 135,000 record crowd

Plans to stage the most attended event in boxing history have been announced by live sports entertainment organisation iVisit Boxing (iVB).

San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza will be turned into an open-air boxing arena with the card being streamed on YouTube on 11 July.

The current record for the largest attendance at a boxing event stands at 135,132 – when Tony Zale and Billy Pryor fought at Juneau Park, Milwaukee in 1941.

“This world-record attempt will belong to San Francisco,” said iVB chief executive Ed Pereira. “It belongs to its fans, its fighters and its communities.”

“San Francisco’s commitment to community and public engagement reflects iVB’s belief that boxing should be built around its fans.”

The organisation plans to stage 24 boxing cards across the next 12 months, beginning in March, and will announce its first show in early February.

It said a news conference is set to take place later in February in Las Vegas to announce its initial schedule.