USA Boxing will receive $1.51M from the Mashantucket
Pequot Tribal Nation in CT in a three-year sponsorship deal
announced Friday for a series of bouts at its Foxwoods
Resort Casino, according to Terry Price of the HARTFORD
COURANT. The sponsorship "is the first by an American
Indian tribe for a U.S. Olympic national governing body."
USA Boxing President Gary Toney said that the pact is the
largest signed by USA Boxing (HARTFORD COURANT, 3/22).
Under the sponsorship, USA Boxing will stage four events in
each of the next three years at Foxwoods. It held events in
'94 and '95 at the casino. The agreement calls for
sponsorship amounts of $456,000 the first year, $501,000 the
second and $556,000 the third. The first Foxwoods event
will be a dual match May 9 between the U.S. and Mexico. The
series of events will culminate with USA Boxing staging its
2000 Olympic box-offs there (WASHINGTON POST, 3/23).
MEET ME TONIGHT IN ATLANTIC CITY: The resurgence of
boxing in Atlantic City was examined by John Hassell of the
Newark STAR-LEDGER, who quoted Time Warner Sports President
Seth Abraham as saying, "Right now, Atlantic City is the
boxing capital of the world. The boxing world has tilted
away from Las Vegas and toward Atlantic City, although it
will not stay that way forever." The number of fight cards
in NJ rose from 29 to 41 last year, while NV's dropped from
40 to 31. Furthermore, NJ's revenue rose 218% between '96
and '97, while NV's fell 13% (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 3/22).
