A historic landmark may host a professional boxing match this summer.
According to Ring, WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez is close to an agreement to get into the ring on Alcatraz Island.
Ring notes that Riyadh Season promoter Turki Alalshikh recently told ESPN he was hoping to host a fight at the former prison turned museum one day. Lopez will fight for the brand.
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« You know, sometimes I get in my mind I want different places to do [fights]. Sometimes in mountains, maybe someday in the Pyramids in Mexico, someday in [the] Eiffel Tower in France, [the] Colosseum in Italy, » Alalshikh said.
It’s unclear whether the title would be up for grabs, but considering Lopez defended his title twice last year, it seems likely.
The prison opened in 1934, but it didn’t even last 30 years.
Considering its 1.25-mile distance to shore, the Bay Area island was considered practically escape-proof, although there were 14 documented attempted escapes.
The most notorious one was the June 11, 1962, escape by John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris, which inspired « Escape from Alcatraz. »
It remains a mystery whether the three reached shore and survived. The FBI concluded the escapees drowned due to harsh conditions.
The three prisoners chiseled an escape route from their own jail cells and built makeshift, papier mâché heads.
The final attempted escape from the prison, almost six months later, inspired what has become the swimming route of the « Escape from Alcatraz » triathlon.
Both Al Capone and George « Machine Gun » Kelly served time at the prison.
Lopez is 21-1 with 13 knockouts but has not fought since June, a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Steve Claggett.
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Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/sports/pro-boxing-match-could-take-place-alcatraz-summer-report
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Publish date : 2025-02-13 00:46:00
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