Castles, Aircraft Carriers & Cages: 5 Unlikely Boxing Venues

For a time, it seemed he might fight his way to a title shot without ever tasting freedom. All eleven of his last fights were fought behind bars. A loss to legend Dwight Muhammad Qawi in September 1981 proved to be the final fight of his career – in or out of the slammer.

Castles

Anthony Joshua hunted Robert Helenius in the ring in 2023 at London’s O2 Arena, a knockout loss that reverberated across the heavyweight ranks. Yet, just a week earlier, it was Helenius doing the stalking.

The Nordic warrior dispatched Mika Mielonen in three rounds on an opera stage unlike any other which was set atop the ancient stones of St. Olaf’s Castle in Savonlinna, Finland. Built in the 15th century, the fortress towers above Lake Saimaa are more commonly associated with the sound of music, not boxing. The site has held an opera festival since 1912.

European castles have occasionally played host to minor fights, but rarely host boxers of Helenius' caliber. Yet the dream persists among a few. Scotland's Josh Taylor, the first undisputed super lightweight champion of the four-belt era, has publicly called for a fight atop the storied ramparts of Edinburgh Castle.

Each summer, a grandstand seating 8,800 is erected there for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo; slight expansion could house a crowd of 10,000. Taylor envisions the castle's Saltire waving above him as he steps between the ropes.

Warships

Navy’s around the world have strong boxing traditions, and amateur fights between warships were a big feature of naval life, say, during World War II. Today, that spirit lives on. The USS Intrepid, docked in Manhattan, once hosted a televised card in 2001, though the event, curiously, is missing from the BoxRec archives, according to the Sun.

More verifiable bouts took place aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, which has hosted boxing matches and NCAA basketball games. The USS Lexington hosted a boxing card in 1977 promoted by –who else? Don King. Larry Holmes topped the unusual card.

In the 19th century, prizefights often occurred on barges anchored just outside territorial waters to evade local laws. Most famously, in 1881, John L. Sullivan squared off with Billy Flood aboard a barge in the Hudson River.

Roman Amphitheaters and Bull Rings

The stage of matadors has often given way to boxers. Bullrings, long home to bloodsport, have periodically hosted boxing matches. In 1923, all-time great Sam Langford fought boxing’s last fight to the finish at Mexico City’s Chapultepec Bull Ring.

A handful of former Roman amphitheaters repurposed as bullrings have come close to being boxing venues. Anthony Joshua reportedly considered fighting Kubrat Pulev in Croatia’s Pula Arena, a colossal Roman amphitheater under COVID-19 protocols. Joshua eventually fought Pulev in a studio setting in 2020.

The Pula Arena, though, is the real story. Built between 27 BC and AD 68, its four towers still stand unique among Roman ruins. Ultimately, the bout was relocated, but the idea remains. Long too damaged to host modern events, the Colosseum in Rome is still a dream venue for many a boxing promoter.

Wherever there is a ring, there can be a fight. Be it on a castle wall, a prison floor, a floating deck, or a Roman ruin. Boxing, like history, always gets its shot.