USTA Billie Jean King Center Hosts First Boxing Card

For the first time, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, will host a boxing event in Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York's second-largest venue. The card features local fighters Edgar Berlanga and Shakur Stevenson, who will compete in separate bouts, with Stevenson defending his WBC lightweight title against unbeaten William Zepeda, and Berlanga facing Hamzah Sheeraz in a super middleweight main event. This event is part of a growing trend in New York boxing to use unconventional venues, illustrated by a recent tripleheader held in Times Square, although that event suffered from low fan attendance due to tickets not being sold to the public. Originally planned for Central Park, the fight card was moved to Flushing Meadows, with Berlanga confident his fans will find their way to the new location. The National Tennis Center has previously hosted diverse events, including outdoor WNBA games, dog shows, and wrestling, and will soon host the final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the season. Both fighters expressed excitement about performing in the new stadium and the opportunity to put on a significant show in front of a large crowd.