Saturday's 16-bout boxing event at Minute Maid Park -- the first ever at the ballpark -- represents a "major endeavor for promoters trying to grow the sport and for the Astros, who have staged several concerts and other events at the stadium in an effort to increase non-baseball revenue," according to David Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. The card, headlined by a 12-round super welterweight main event between Canelo Alvarez and James Kirkland, is "expected to draw a near-capacity crowd of more than 40,000." Workers on Thursday were "installing the ring, a protective covering for the infield and outfield grass, and about 5,500 ringside seats on the playing field." The Astros said that about 60% of the playing field "will be covered by the floor" for Saturday's boxing event, "less than the area required for the Beyonce and Jay-Z concert last year." The team added that the floor "should be removed and the field playable by mid-afternoon Sunday." The Astros "play at home Tuesday" against the Giants. The Minute Maid Park card is "only the second Golden Boy Productions show to take place in a stadium with a grass field." Top Rank has "been more adventuresome, promoting fights at Yankee Stadium, the Sun Bowl in El Paso and AT&T Stadium." Top Rank VP/Boxing Operations Carl Moretti said, "If you've got the right fight and the right name, a stadium is worth looking at. It can be a terrific way to present boxing" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/8). Golden Boy President & co-Founder Oscar De La Hoya said the Alvarez-Kirkland bout "will help fans forget about what happened last week," referring to the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas that was considered underwhelming by many. In San Antonio, John Whisler notes this weekend's fight "will be televised on HBO's World Championship Boxing" and is not a PPV event. De La Hoya: "The timing couldn’t have been better for this. This is the perfect opportunity to recapture those fans who bought the (Mayweather-Pacquiao) pay-per-view" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 5/8).
