The Minneapolis Armory and Premier Boxing Champions will announce a series of cards to be held in 2019 in the remodeled venue in a Thursday press conference. There were two PBC cards in 2018 that brought back professional boxing to the Armory for the first time since 1979 -- and those went well enough for Minneapolis to become a regular host this year.
Here is the release sent out by publicist Robb Leer in advance of the press conference:
THE SPOTLIGHT ON MINNESOTA boxing will be brighter than ever in 2019 as the Minneapolis Armory hosts four nationally televised bouts featuring top national and local talent.
Former IBF Super Middleweight champion Caleb Truax, of Osseo, and rising welterweight contender Jamal James of Minneapolis will be on hand for the announcement. Both fighters will see action at the Armory in the coming year.
Steeped in boxing tradition, the Armory has hosted fights featuring all-time greats that include Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Fritzie Zivic and local legends such as Glen Flanagan and Jack Gibbons.
"Minneapolis and St. Paul were big boxing towns back in the day and it kind of dwindled for a while. Jamal and I have been trying to make a name for ourselves and bring boxing back to everyday sports conversations in Minnesota," Truax said.
Professional boxing returned to the Minneapolis Armory in 2018 for the first time since 1973. Feeding off the energy in the building, both James and Truax scored victories at the Amory in two separate events during the past year.
Jeff Flanagan, president of the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame, said the 2019 boxing series at the Armory is attractive because it brings consistency and competitive matchups to the local fight scene. In the past, boxing events were held sporadically and the matches weren't always competitive, said Flanagan, son of World Boxing Hall of Famer Glen Flanagan.
