From Ali to Bruno and now Dubois: 100-years at the historic Royal Albert Hall
Iconic venue will opens its doors to boxing for the first time in seven years – just months after its centenary celebrations of combat sports
THE Royal Albert Hall opens its doors tonight to boxing for the first time in seven years – and just months after its centenary celebrations of combat sports.
In an arena usually reserved for the Proms and world-class musicians, the noble art of boxing will make its long-awaited return this evening.
GB hero Daniel Dubois will be the headline act against Romanian Razvan Cojanu for the vacant WBO European heavyweight title.
Incredibly, the iconic venue in Kensington, West London, first held boxing bouts in December 1918 when the UK Armed Forces took on their US equivalent in a two-day competition recognised by the King.
For decades, the Royal Albert Hall was the biggest indoor venue in the country and more than 700 cards have taken place there.
Famous fighters like Muhammad Ali, Sir Henry Cooper, Frank Bruno, Prince Naseem Hamed and Lennox Lewis have graced the historic theatre.
Even the infamous Krays twins, Ronnie and Reggie, were on the bill once, during their amateur fighting days in the 1950s.
Liz Harper, the archive manager of the Royal Albert Hall, told SunSport: “There is a long history of boxing at the Royal Albert Hall.
“The Royals have often watched boxing at the Hall – the Duke of Edinburgh, King George VI and Edward VIII.
“The venue really suits it. Wherever you sit you will get a good view of the action.
“We were the biggest concert hall for decades, long before arenas started up.
“We have had so much amateur boxing here that it’s fitting it is returning.
“The performer Eric Clapton once said the Royal Albert Hall was like playing in his living room – wherever you are in the room, you can see everybody else. It has an intense atmosphere. It’s very intimate, there is nowhere else like it.”
A capacity crowd of 5,200 is expected for the first world title fight there in 20 years and the promoter Frank Warren has plans to use as a venue again in the future.
Harper added: “Talking to members of staff who were stewards the last time we had fights here, the boxing audience were some of the best we had.
“Sometimes we have more issues with the proms audiences! It’s a misconception over boxing crowds.”