Today marks the 50th anniversary of Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum’s first promotion which also happened to be the first fight he ever saw live. March 29, 1966 was the date. Maple Leafs Garden in Toronto, Canada was the site.
Muhammad Ali vs. George Chuvalo for the heavyweight championship of the world was the fight. An Arumesque beginning, if ever there was one, for boxing’s most iconic promoter.
In a career that has spanned six decades, Bob has presented world championship events on every continent other than Antarctica. And to paraphrase the slogan from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Bob has promoted “more stars than there are in heaven.” The names read like a who’s who for the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Top Rank has produced a video commemorating Bob’s career, which you can watch on this page.
How do you sum up 50 years of boxing history and all of the legendary fighters and events that Arum has been a part of? It’s all about the legends, fighters such as Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez, Manny Pacquiao, and even Floyd Mayweather got included in the mix.
It’s a very quick look but offers an amazing sense of what Arum and Top Rank has been a part of. Happy 50 years to Top Rank and Arum!
