Thousands of boxing fans attend championship matches in Baltimore
Roughly 2,000 boxing fans showed up in Baltimore for a championship professional boxing match Saturday.
The Hilton Inner Harbor hosted 14 matches Saturday, bringing about 28 boxers into the ring.
"I hope it brings a lot of inspiration, a lot of love back into the city," said Baltimore native Kevin Byers.
Boxing returns to Baltimore
There was a long line of fans excited for a night they hadn't seen in years downtown.
"Coming out to Baltimore is like a second home," Saronda Streeter said. "We're just going to stay out here all day."
"Baltimore being a huge city, an up-and-coming city, they need a variety," said Christen Jeter, the owner of Jeter Promotion, which helped coordinate the event. "We're bringing a little variety by bringing professional boxing."
She said this is a sport that needs to stay in Baltimore.
"Everyone knows the Ravens and the Orioles," Jeter said. "This is a different sport. Working with the city has been fantastic."
Some fans who came out loved the convenience of having professional boxing in their backyard. They said there was no chance they would miss out on seeing their favorites.
"45 minutes to come see [Scooter Davis] instead of having to go to like Vegas or anywhere else," Bettie Draughn said.
Support for Charm City
Baltimore Development Corporation Chief Operating Officer Kevin Seawright said the team has been working for months to coordinate the event that brought professional boxing back to Baltimore
"We're still building off of the past," he said. "We have the Upton Rec Center, which is a huge boxing mecca. Mack Lewis Gym, which is a huge boxing mecca. We just want to keep building off of that history and having these events here, localizing the city where individuals don't have to travel hundreds of miles to get to an event."
He said events like this are examples of what Baltimore can do.
"It's just really great for downtown and the businesses of downtown with the amount of people you see here today," he said.
Seawright said this sport is here to stay in Charm City.
"We're in. We're doubling down on this for Baltimore," he said. "Yes, we do expect this to happen in the future."
