Ohio legislator says Cincinnati casino should have a Vegas-style boxing arena

CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio state legislator believes a newly approved Cincinnati casino would be a good site for a Las-Vegas-style boxing arena — one that could help create future Olympic and world- champion fighters.

State Rep. Dale Mallory, a Democrat from Cincinnati, said he has talked to boxing promoters and believes such an arena would help revive the sport in the city that he says has had a strong reputation for having good fighters. Mallory said boxing has “died down” in Cincinnati in recent years.

Former Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken, who is one of several lobbyists working for casino developer Dan Gilbert’s Rock Ventures holding company, said he has talked to Mallory about his proposal.

Luken said that casino developers are concentrating on getting the Ohio General Assembly to pass legislation that will allow them to break ground by the end of 2010. The Cincinnati casino will be one of four legalized in Ohio by a Nov. 3 statewide ballot initiative.

Casino developers are trying to make certain the new casinos “don’t bring any bad elements” such as increased crime, drugs or prostitution to the community, Luken said.

But casino opponents are against the idea of combining sporting events with gambling.

John Edgar, chairman of the United Methodist Anti-gambling Task Force, said Friday that adding a boxing arena to casinos would drive more people into gambling. He said even if a boxing arena is initially meant to just provide sports entertainment, “the next step could be live sports betting.”

“To me, it’s an indication of all that’s wrong with bringing casinos to Ohio,” Edgar said.

Andrew Williams, associate director of amateur boxing with Cincinnati Golden Gloves and the USA Boxing Association, said he is excited about bringing boxing back to Cincinnati.

“We have strong fighters, and it definitely needs to be revived,” Williams said.

Mallory, brother of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, said he’s loyal to traditional boxing, but is open to asking developers to consider hosting mixed martial arts at a new boxing arena. That full-contact style — better known as ultimate fighting or cage fighting — mixes traditional boxing with martial arts and wrestling.

Cincinnati’s support for boxing dates back to the late 1800s, when a gloved boxing match was held downtown with champion boxing pioneer John L. Sullivan. The city has sent about 10 boxers to the Olympics.

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Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com