The Boxing Venues of Atlantic City: A Complete Guide
From Boardwalk Hall to the casino ballrooms, these are the arenas that made Atlantic City the Boxing Capital of the World
Between 1978 and 2014, Atlantic City hosted more championship boxing than anywhere else in America outside Las Vegas. At its peak in 1985, the city staged 143 fight cards in a single year—sometimes three or four shows in the same week.
This wasn’t possible because of one arena. It happened because an entire ecosystem of venues emerged: a legendary convention hall, a dozen casino ballrooms, and the promotional muscle to fill them all.
Here’s your complete guide to the venues that made Atlantic City’s golden era of boxing possible.
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
Address: 2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
Opened: 1929
Capacity: 14,770 (reduced from ~22,000 after 2002 renovation)
Status: Active
The Crown Jewel
Originally called Atlantic City Convention Hall, this National Historic Landmark was built between 1926 and 1929 for $15 million. Its barrel-vaulted ceiling rises 137 feet above the floor, supported by steel trusses that span 456 feet without interior columns—an engineering marvel of its era.
The hall houses the world’s largest musical instrument, the Midmer-Losh pipe organ with 33,112 pipes. It hosted the Miss America Pageant from 1940 to 2004 and the 1964 Democratic National Convention that nominated Lyndon Johnson.
But for boxing fans, Boardwalk Hall means one thing: the biggest fights on the East Coast.
Boxing History
The first professional boxing card at Convention Hall took place on July 8, 1930. The venue hosted occasional fights through the mid-century, including Joey Giardello’s middleweight title victory over Dick Tiger on December 7, 1963.
The golden era began on March 18, 1983, when Michael Spinks got off the canvas to beat Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBC light heavyweight title. From that night forward, virtually every major champion fought at Boardwalk Hall.
Landmark Fights
Mike Tyson KO 1 Michael Spinks (June 27, 1988) — Record crowd of 21,785. The biggest fight in venue history, over in 91 seconds. Trump paid an $11 million site fee to bring the fight to Atlantic City, and the city generated $344 million in gambling revenue that weekend.
Evander Holyfield W 12 George Foreman (April 19, 1991) — “The Battle of the Ages” drew approximately 20,000 fans, the second-largest boxing crowd in venue history.
Arturo Gatti W 12 Micky Ward III (June 7, 2003) — Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. 12,643 fans witnessed the rubber match of boxing’s greatest trilogy.
Floyd Mayweather TKO 6 Arturo Gatti (June 25, 2005) — 12,675 attendance, still the largest non-heavyweight crowd in Atlantic City history.
Sergey Kovalev W 12 Bernard Hopkins (November 8, 2014) — Light heavyweight unification. The last major fight in the main arena for over a decade.
Jaron Ennis TKO 6 Eimantas Stanionis (April 12, 2025) — Championship boxing returned to Boardwalk Hall after a 10-year drought when Philadelphia’s “Boots” Ennis unified the welterweight titles.
The hall was renamed for Jim Whelan, a former Atlantic City mayor and state senator, in 2018. The main dressing room bears the name of Arturo Gatti, who sold out the venue nine consecutive times between 2002 and 2007.
Adrian Phillips Ballroom
The 3,200-seat theater upstairs hosted smaller cards when the main arena wasn’t in use. Notable fights include Gatti vs. Ivan Robinson I (1998 Fight of the Year) and numerous club shows throughout the golden era. The ballroom remains active for boxing events today.
Tropicana Atlantic City
Address: 2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
Opened: 1981
Venue: The Showroom
Status: Active
Tuesday Night Fights
No venue embodied Atlantic City’s club boxing scene like the Tropicana. From 1982 to 1986, promoter Don Elbaum and matchmaker Teddy Menas staged an incredible 196 fight cards in the Showroom—nearly one per week for five years.
“Tuesday Night at the Trop” became an institution. The weekly shows brought busloads of gamblers to town and developed prospects who would later headline Boardwalk Hall. A young Buster Douglas fought on Tropicana cards before he shocked the world by knocking out Mike Tyson in 1990.
Elbaum, inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019, also gave a young ring announcer named Michael Buffer his first job in boxing at the Tropicana in 1982. “Don didn’t pay me,” Buffer later recalled. “But he said it would be an incredible opportunity.”
Later Years and Revival
After Elbaum’s legendary run, promoter Diane Fischer’s Dee Lee Promotions continued the tradition, staging the area’s first all-women’s boxing card at the Tropicana in 1997.
After a seven-year absence, boxing returned to the Tropicana in May 2024 when Atlantic City native Larry Goldberg’s Boxing Insider Promotions revived the tradition. Goldberg, who grew up attending fights at Boardwalk Hall in the late 1980s and once worked as a beverage server at the Tropicana, has since staged multiple cards at the venue featuring local prospects like Justin Figueroa and Bruce Seldon Jr. The series streams live on DAZN and has partnered with the Atlantic City PAL to support youth boxing in the community.
Trump Plaza
Address: 2500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
Opened: 1984
Venue: Imperial Ballroom
Status: Demolished (imploded February 17, 2021)
The Tyson Connection
Trump Plaza wasn’t just a casino—it was the engine that powered Atlantic City’s championship boxing era.
Bernie Dillon ran Trump Plaza’s boxing program from 1984 to 1991 and built the relationship that brought Mike Tyson to town. Tyson fought four times at Trump Plaza’s Imperial Ballroom in 1985-86, including a crucial bout against Jose Ribalta on August 17, 1986.
That fight led to a pivotal deal: Trump executives Mark Etess and Stephen Hyde secured a right of first refusal for Tyson’s future megafights. The result was five consecutive Tyson championship bouts at Boardwalk Hall, with Trump Plaza serving as host hotel and primary sponsor.
Trump Plaza was also the first venue to put the casino’s name on ring corner pads and rope ties—a marketing innovation that spread throughout the industry.
The Tyson-Spinks Windfall
Trump paid an $11 million site fee to bring Tyson-Spinks to Atlantic City, outbidding Las Vegas. The investment paid off: the fight generated a $13 million live gate, Trump Plaza recorded a casino drop of $11.5 million on fight night alone, and celebrities from Jack Nicholson to Madonna packed the property.
“The way we put Trump Plaza and the city of Atlantic City on the map for the whole world was really incredible,” Dillon recalled. “One night before a Tyson fight I looked about four rows in and there were two guys leaning in close having a private conversation: Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty.”
The deaths of Etess and Hyde in a 1989 helicopter crash marked the beginning of the end for Trump’s boxing empire. Financial troubles forced Trump out of the sport by the mid-1990s. The casino closed in 2014 and was imploded in 2021.
Trump Taj Mahal / Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Address: 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
Opened: 1990 (as Trump Taj Mahal)
Venue: Mark G. Etess Arena
Status: Active (as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino since 2018)
The Taj Years
Built for $1.2 billion, the Trump Taj Mahal was meant to be the crown jewel of Atlantic City. The Mark G. Etess Arena—named for the Trump executive killed in the 1989 helicopter crash—hosted numerous fight cards in the 1990s and 2000s.
Arturo Gatti fought here multiple times, including his rematch loss to Ivan Robinson on December 12, 1998. Wladimir Klitschko’s sixth-round stoppage of Ray Mercer on June 29, 2002 was the last significant boxing event under Trump ownership.
The Taj Mahal filed for bankruptcy in 1991, just 15 months after opening, and closed permanently in 2014.
The Hard Rock Era
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino acquired and renovated the property, reopening in 2018. Bernie Dillon, the same executive who built Trump Plaza’s boxing program decades earlier, helped bring championship boxing back to the venue.
Sergey Kovalev vs. Eleider Alvarez on August 4, 2018 marked the first major fight at the rebranded property. The venue continues to host combat sports, including Cage Fury Fighting Championships events.
Caesars Atlantic City
Address: 2100 Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ
Opened: 1979 (as Boardwalk Regency)
Status: Active
Atlantic City’s second casino opened on June 26, 1979, and was renamed Caesars Atlantic City in 1987. The property hosted boxing in its ballroom venues and co-sponsored major Boardwalk Hall events alongside sister property Bally’s.
Ken Condon, who worked at Caesars and Bally’s, was instrumental in bringing the Arturo Gatti era to Atlantic City. Working with promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events, Condon helped establish Boardwalk Hall as “the house that Gatti built.”
Bally’s Atlantic City
Address: 1900 Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ
Opened: 1979 (as Bally’s Park Place)
Status: Active
Connected to Caesars, Bally’s hosted club-level cards throughout the golden era and co-sponsored major Boardwalk Hall events. The last boxing card at Bally’s before the COVID-19 pandemic took place on March 7, 2020.
Resorts Casino Hotel
Address: 1133 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
Opened: May 26, 1978
Status: Active
The first legal casino outside Nevada, Resorts opened the floodgates for Atlantic City’s gambling—and boxing—boom. The property, converted from the historic Chalfonte-Haddon Hall hotel (originally built in 1868), hosted early club cards that helped establish the city’s boxing infrastructure.
Bernie Dillon began his career at Resorts in 1979 before moving to Caesars and then Trump Plaza, where he would orchestrate the Tyson era.
Other AC Venues
Showboat Hotel
Opened: 1987 (as casino), reopened 2016 (as non-gaming hotel)
Status: Active — hosts smaller cards
The Showboat was part of Caesars Entertainment’s Atlantic City boxing portfolio during its casino years. After reopening as a non-gaming hotel in 2016, it has continued hosting club-level boxing and combat sports events.
Sands Hotel & Casino
Opened 1980, closed 2006. Hosted club-level cards throughout the golden era.
Harrah’s Atlantic City
Opened 1980 in the marina district. Hosted occasional boxing events.
Showboat Casino Hotel
Opened 1987, closed 2014. Featured boxing in its ballroom venues.
Claridge Hotel
Reopened 1981 after renovation.
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Opened 2003 in the marina district. Has hosted major cards featuring fighters like Dmitrii Bivol and Claressa Shields in recent years.
Ocean Casino Resort
Originally opened as Revel in 2012, closed 2014, reopened as Ocean in 2018. Ovation Hall hosted Claressa Shields vs. Ivana Habazin in January 2020.
By the Numbers
- 1978: Resorts International opens—first legal casino outside Nevada
- 1982: 139 fight cards held in Atlantic City
- 1985: 143 fight cards (peak year)
- 1982-1985: 521 total cards in four years
- 1988: Tyson-Spinks draws record 21,785 to Boardwalk Hall
- 2007: Gatti retires—end of the golden era
- 2014: Kovalev-Hopkins becomes last major Boardwalk Hall fight for a decade
- 2025: Ennis-Stanionis returns championship boxing to Boardwalk Hall
The People Who Made It Happen
Don Elbaum — Promoted 196 cards at Tropicana (1982-1986). Inducted into International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019.
Bernie Dillon — Ran Trump Plaza’s boxing program (1984-1991), later brought boxing back to Hard Rock. Started career at Resorts in 1979.
Ken Condon — Caesars/Bally’s executive who architected the Arturo Gatti era at Boardwalk Hall.
Larry Hazzard Sr. — New Jersey State Athletic Control Board Commissioner who oversaw boxing’s golden era and continues to regulate the sport today.
Kathy Duva — Main Events promoter who brought Gatti, Hopkins, Kovalev, and other champions to Atlantic City.
