It was Sept. 10, 1973. That’s the first time Bob Arum promoted a boxing card at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. It was the second fight in the epic trilogy between Muhammad Ali and the late Ken Norton.
Ali won by split decision, avenging a defeat to Norton six months earlier when “The Greatest” fought through a broken jaw only to lose a split decision. Ali also won the rubber match in a controversial decision at Yankee Stadium in 1976.
In a different era, the Forum was a hub for great fights and great fighters, featuring more than 400 bouts with boxers like Ali, Norton, Oscar De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez and Tommy Hearns. But Saturday night’s fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado will headline the first boxing card at the Forum since 2004 and the first since Madison Square Garden acquired the property and upgraded the facility with extensive renovations.
“It’s tremendous to have the Forum back in boxing,” Arum told The Post. “What makes it current and good is that Madison Square Garden is known as the boxing Mecca and the Garden is now the new owner of the Forum. They’ve poured a lot of money into it. It’s a sparkling building. It’s tremendous what they’ve done.”
It also brings back a flood of memories for Arum.
“Marquez fought there when he was a young fighter,” the Top Rank boss said. “Julio Cesar Chavez beat Roger Mayweather there. It has history for everybody. There were so many tremendous fights there thanks in part of Dr. Jerry Buss, who was devoted to boxing.”
The Forum first opened in 1967 and was the home of the NBA Lakers and NHL Kings. It also played host to some of the top musicians of that era including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors and Prince. But the Lakers and Kings, along with many of the major concerts, moved to Staples Center beginning in 1999.
The Forum, also known as the Great Western Forum, eventually was purchased by a Bible church before being acquired by the Garden for $23.5 million in June 2012. Nearly $70 million in renovations were completed before the facility re-opened with an Eagles concert in January.
“The reinvented Forum is now the largest indoor performance venue in the country with a focus on music and entertainment and was impeccably restored to be the perfect venue for various events and select sporting events,” said Sid Greenfeig, senior vice president of west coast business operations for the Forum.
Marquez (55-7-1, 40 KOs), of Mexico City, and Alvarado (34-2, 23 KOs), of Denver, meet in a 12-round welterweight world title eliminator. HBO will televise. Marquez, 40, is best remembered for a sixth-round knockout of Manny Pacquiao in their fourth fight, in December 2012. But he lost a split decision to Timothy Bradley last October. Alvarado, 33, is trying to rebound after losing a 140-pound title by being stopped by Ruslan Provodnikov in October.
“This fight is important because Mike Alvarado lost his last fight and I lost my last fight,” Marquez said. “This fight will be a war because Alvarado likes to fight. I like to fight and the fans win because they like to see these kinds of fights.”
Alvarado, who is moving up in weight, hopes a victory might land him a fight with Pacquiao.
“This fight is very important for both of us, and a win here will lead to bigger fights,” he said. “There is a lot involved in this fight, both mentally and for our careers. I am focusing on getting this win.”
The Garden will be back in the boxing business on June 7 when Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto meet in the big arena on 33rd Street. Fewer than 1,000 tickets remain.