Boxing Returning This Summer To Tropicana Atlantic City, New Jersey
For the first time in seven years, people were walking through Tropicana Atlantic City on their way to a Boxing Event inside the Showroom. While some people were not sure what they were walking into on the night of Saturday, May 11th, the reality is no one in attendance left disappointed by Boxing Insider Promotions' first boxing card in Atlantic City.
Even though the event was headlined by Atlantic City's Justin "Just In Time" Figueroa, most attendees to Saturday's Boxing Event at Tropicana Atlantic City were in the showroom when the bell rang for the first fight. The May 11th event was such a success that a second boxing card will be returning to the Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City this coming July.
Those in attendance got to see some exciting fights before the night's headliner walked to the ring. After Koby Williams from Brooklyn, New York got an impressive win in his Professional debut, the audience at the Tropicana Showroom was treated to New Jersey's own Dwyke Flemmings dominate his opponent for three rounds before the referee stopped the fight.
About 30 minutes before Atlantic City's Justin Figueroa would come to the ring, arguably the best fight of the night was a Welterweight showdown between two fighters not from the Northeast. After steady action first round, Lesther Espino fighting out of Miami, Florida blitzed his opponent in the second round. But Avious Griffin from Tennessee survived the second round and set the stage for an action-packed third round where both fighters landed good combinations.
Griffin took control of the fight in the fourth round before he got the referee stoppage win over Espino in the fifth round. The action of the earlier fights added to the anticipation of the Undefeated Junior Middleweight "Mr. Atlantic City" coming to the ring.
Walking out to a plethora of cheers and fans shouting "Justin", the undefeated Figueroa stopped on his way to the ring to say hello to a young fan and acknowledged numerous people he knew before entering the ring. Figueroa embraced the moment as the centerpiece of the boxing event in his hometown.
After Figueroa had a measured approach in the first round, he increased the pressure in the second round before Antoni Armas with a counterattack that landed "Just In Time" on one knee. The boxing officials ruled this a Knockdown, but the reality is it was more Figueroa losing his balance while he was dealing with Armas' combinations.
Figueroa would go on to dominate the action in the third and fourth rounds before Armas' corner said a Shoulder Injury would prohibit their fighter from continuing. Earning the Technical Knockout, Figueroa treated the audience to his "Worm" celebration.
While former New Jersey Golden Gloves Winner John Leonardo would go on to finish his opponent Frank Gonzalez in the sixth round, a majority of the audience came out to see Figueroa fight and the crowd was still buzzing about "Mr. Atlantic City".
According to Tropicana Atlantic City events personnel, there were 807 Tickets scanned, a number that does not include those who were comped free entry to the event by the promotor and Tropicana.
I would estimate at its peak, the audience was between 850-900 people, numbers that both Tropicana Atlantic City and Boxing Insider Promotions were happy with and opened the door for them to announce the night Boxing Event.
Boxing Promoter Larry Goldberg of Boxing Insider Promotions and Tropicana Atlantic City have announced that they will be bringing a second boxing event to the Showroom on Friday, July 26th.
While no bouts have been announced for the event, the hope is that still Undefeated Junior Middleweight Justin Figueroa will fight again in front of his hometown fans.
The energy in the building on Saturday Night combined with the exciting action made the May 11th Boxing Event a successful first venture for Boxing Insider Promotions in Atlantic City. As South Jersey's own Larry Goldberg told 973 ESPN previously, the plan is to bring more frequent boxing events to Tropicana Atlantic City.
Aside from the Tropicana Atlantic City Showroom, one of the classic sports venues in AC is Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Here are some of the great sporting events hosting in that building over the years:
