Honolulu's Blaisdell Center, scheduled for a $750-million renovation next year, is one potential location for boxing in Hawaii.
In a meeting with World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman and North American Boxing Federation officials who conducted their annual convention here, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell expressed the islanders’ fervent interest in fight sports. Sulaiman proposed a pro tournament of four-round boxing matches named for late local trainer Herbert Minn to stoke the revival.
“You have a partner here. [The tournament] is great news. . . . We pull from all continents and all shores, and bringing a major fight here would be pretty fantastic. We have the facilities, the hotels, the Aloha spirit.” Minn’s son, Hubert, a boxing judge, noted that Hawaii hasn’t staged a championship match since 2011 when native son Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria won a flyweight belt at the iconic 7,700-seat Blaisdell Center, where Elvis Presley once performed.
Minn said he envisions Hawaii as a natural locale for"East meets West," bouts,"with fighters from [Asia] meeting those from Mexico. The people are ready."