It’s a proud day for Irish amateur boxing

It’s a proud day for Irish amateur boxing

2 Mar 1939

IT’S A PROUD DAY FOR IRISH AMATEUR BOXING
New Luxury Stadium Stages First Show To-night

Last night the New Boxing Stadium in Dublin was officially opened with all the usual ceremony connected with such occasions.

By Seconds Out

To-night we get down to brass tacks, and the building-, which, is the result of seven years hard work by boxng officials, will begin to serve a useful purpose by housing- the National Championships.

PERFECT VIEW. As regards the building itself, it surpasses the most _optimistic expectations. I don’t think fans will find anything to grumble about. The seating is comfortable, and even tho back benches have a perfect _vie-w of the ring. There are no galleries; the rows of seats slope steeply away from the ringside,to the roof, giving the impression of a huge bowl lined -with seats, with the ring at the bottom. Dressing rooms for boxers and offices for the Association- are situated under the slopes, so that the whole building is very compact. Seating: capacity (2600) may be a bit on the small side, but It should be ample to satisfy all ordinary requirements. It has been a gigantic task. Difficulties and snags have followed fast upon each other. Money had to be raised, a site to be found, and all the while time pressed as the need for the building grew more acute. A unique thing about the building is that it is constructed over a river. This river may give an unusual touch to the stadium, but it gave those behind the scheme a few very anxious days. Plans for the building had been completed, the site secured and railed in, when it was discovered that the River Poddle, flowed across the site a few feet under the ground. A feverish examination followed to discover the exact course of the river and it was found that, fortunately, it only affected one corner of the proposed building. If it had flowed straight across the site it would have put a sunken ring out of the question, thus altering all the plans, and we probably wouldn’t leave our stadium to-day. As it was, it added considerably to the cost of the building, because a huge concrete platform had to be constructed across the river before building commenced. But for this snag cropping up the stadium would probably have been completed months ago.

Boxing clubs-wishing to hire the stadium for their tournaments will be required to pay 15 per cent of their takings to the Stadium fund. When the money borrowed for the scheme has been paid off, the buildings will become the property of the Boxing Association. Fans and boxers may miss the time honoured buckets of sawdust and water at the ringside, because running water has been laid on to the ring. The weigh-in for the championships takes place to-day at the Stadium from 2.30 to 10.0 and from 1.30 to 2.0.

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