Arena México
La Catedral de la Lucha Libre "The Cathedral of Lucha Libre" | |
Former names | Arena Modelo (1910s–1950s) |
---|---|
Location | 189 Calle Dr. Lavista, Colonia Doctores, Mexico City, 06720 |
Coordinates | 19°25′29″N 99°9′7″W / 19.42472°N 99.15194°W |
Owner | Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) |
Capacity | 16,500 (Professional wrestling, Boxing) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1950s |
Opened | 1956 |
Tenants | |
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Lubre (1956–1989) Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (1990–present) |
Arena México is an indoor
History
The location was originally a general-purpose arena called Arena Modelo. Arena Modelo was built in the 1910s or 1920s for
Arena México, as it was renamed, stood complete in 1956 and is still the largest arena built specifically for professional wrestling.[4] From 1956 and forward Arena México has been the main venue for EMLL and all of their Anniversary shows. In 1968 it was selected to be the location of the boxing competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics that was held in Mexico City.[2] Since its construction, Arena Mexico had been hosting boxing shows on a regular basis and following the refurbishment for the Olympic Games, several major boxing events have been held at Arena Mexico, hosting several world title bouts.[2][5] In 1990 EMLL was renamed Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), retaining ownership of the arena.
Present operations
Arena México hosts twice weekly wrestling events promoted by CMLL. On Tuesdays they present "CMLL Martes Arena Mexico" (CMLL Arena Mexico Tuesday) and on Fridays they present "CMLL Super Viernes" (CMLL Super Friday), which is the promotions primary event, taped for television. Arena México also hosts all of CMLL's feature events and
As a boxing venue
From the 1950s to near the end of the 20th century, Arena Mexico was a major venue for boxing as well. During this time, all of Mexico’s boxing greats, except Julio César Chávez have fought here. Some of those that have include Rubén Olivares, Chucho Castillo, Carlos Zárate Serna, Pipino Cuevas, Julio Guerrero, Famoso Gómez, Memo Téllez, Miguel Castro and Raúl Rodríguez. Arena Mexico was the scene of some of “Púas” Rubén Olivares major victories and it was the scene of his last fight, when he was beaten by newcomer Ignacio Madrid. Most of the biggest fights fought in Mexico during the 1960s to 1970s period took place here.[5]
One notable world championship fight occurred here in 1989, when Ghanaian Nana Konadu fought Mexican Gilberto Román in the superflyweight division. No one anticipated a chance for Konadu, but he won.[5]
From 2000 to 2008, there had not been a world-class championship fight in Arena Mexico. However, it returned when Mexican Jorge “Travieso” Arce beat Panamanian Rafael Concepción in the super flyweight division and Mexican Jackie Nava beat Argentinian Betina Garino in the female bantamweight division.[5]
See also
References
- ^ 1968 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-11-18 at the Wayback Machine Volume 2. Part 1. p. 78.
- ^ ISBN 968-6842-48-9.
- ^ "EMLL Debut show". Pro Wrestling History. September 21, 1933. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-06-085583-3.
- ^ a b c d Castellanos G., Ernesto (22 September 2008). "La México, de nuevo la Catedral del Boxeo Édgar Sosa expone su título" [Arena Mexico, again the Cathedral of Boxing- Edgar Sosa puts his title at risk]. ESTO (in Spanish). Mexico City: Organización Editorial Mexicana. Retrieved January 25, 2010.