Rough and Tumble

One of the oldest disciplines, wrestling, for example, is flourishing. USA Wrestling announced record-setting membership of 296,583 members in 2022-23, and its women’s membership soared 42 percent with 35,833 members during that period, up from 25,223 in 2022.
 

Not surprisingly, many locales are adding or improving venues to better serve a variety of sports competitions. These destinations are ready to help event organizers go the distance.
 

Atlantic City, New Jersey

America’s Playground has a long tradition of hosting boxing and wrestling, and those competitions occur at the Atlantic City Convention Center, Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and a variety of casino/hotel ballrooms and theaters. The Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall is home to the majority of boxing bouts and boasts its own ring on site. Each event here has a full card of 10 to 12 boxers with about 1,200 spectators and an economic impact of $270,401.
 

“The city hosts an average of 10 boxing, wrestling and martial arts events annually, ranging from local athletes participating in regional qualifying events to nationally ranked televised events,” says Jessica Kasunich, director of communications, Visit Atlantic City. “Boxing has a strong history in Atlantic City, and we are proud to say that the art of these boxing events has progressively grown year over year as we hope to bring the sport back to Atlantic City as it was in its glory days.”
 

In addition to boxing, Atlantic City has hosted men’s and women’s UFC competitions, Amerikick International tournaments, NJSIAA boys’ and girls’ high school wrestling meets and USA Wrestling contests. Kasunich notes that qualifying events such as NJSIAA attract 27,162 spectators and have an economic impact of $4,708,961. Amerikick, hosted at the Atlantic City Convention Center, annually brings 3,100 spectators and has an economic impact of $1,025,071. Showtime Boxing, held at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, captured 2,700 spectators with an economic impact of $634,624. USA Wrestling takes place at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City and draws about 600 room nights and posts $331,025 in economic impact.
 

“Atlantic City has hosted events with the PFL, UFC and Showtime, but hosting other youth and regional events has truly built our portfolio to allow us the opportunity to expand into this segment,” says Kasunich. “Our initiatives to continue [to attract] combat sports of all levels have not slowed down as we work with many different organizations that have opened the doors for us to partner on new boxing and wrestling events.”
 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Baton Rouge area has hosted a variety of combat sports competitions including Titan Combat Championships (professional and amateur MMA), USA Wrestling Louisiana Kids State Championship, Louisiana High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Championship, Taekwondo United March Nationals, as well as local boxing events. The primary venues are Raising Cane’s River Center, L’Auberge Casino Hotel Event Center, Crowne Plaza and Marriott Baton Rouge.
 

“Right now, we [host about] six to seven events per year and we have the opportunity to expand that with a couple of groups in the future that are interested in our region,” says Jason Suitt, director of sports development, Visit Baton Rouge. “Typically, we are seeing a total attendance of about 1,500 per event, and they are showing a direct total economic impact of more than $979,000.”
 

Many events hosted are youth competitions, which is in keeping with Baton Rouge being a family-friendly destination that is able to provide an authentic Louisiana experience. About 60 percent of event participants come from within a one- to two-hour drive.
 

Looking ahead, says Suitt, “With the set-up of our current venues and future venue growth, including a new arena coming to LSU, I think we can grow in the boxing space. We have some local partners that are doing smaller local boxing events and I think we can utilize those resources for some larger-scale events in the future.”
 

Flint and Genesee, Michigan

“We take our sports seriously in Flint & Genesee and have produced several great athletes in boxing and wrestling over the years,” reports Amari Steward, executive director of Explore Flint & Genesee. “These include two-time Olympic gold medalist and MMA fighter Claressa Shields, boxers Anthony Dirrell, Andre Dirrell and Chris Byrd, and wrestler John Fisher.”
 

The Dort Financial Center is the largest site for combat sports events. The main area boasts 17,000 square feet of floor space with arena seating for nearly 4,000 spectators. A 27,000-square-foot secondary area provides 630 fixed balcony seats. The venue has already hosted boxing events featuring top talent and looks to continue its tradition.
 

“Each year, Dort Financial Center hosts a youth and high school state final for the Mid Michigan Wrestling Association (MMWA). Post-COVID, the venue has hosted events from the WXC, which produces professional and amateur MMA events, once to twice a year. It currently hosts boxing events once every two to three years but is currently looking to host more fights on a regular basis,” says Steward. “The facility is open to all combat sports and would work well for most disciplines including kickboxing, Greco-Roman wrestling and judo.”
 

Meanwhile, Berston Field House has been a backdrop for some of the city’s top boxing talent. Built in 1923, Berston is currently undergoing a $30 million renovation. Phase I is slated for completion by April 2025, and Phase II will be finished in 2026. Other facilities on offer include Dort Mall, the University of Michigan-Flint, Kettering University and Mott Community College.
 

Greensboro, North Carolina

Wrestling and martial arts are huge draws in Greensboro, which hosts three to five wrestling events annually and has hosted the World Tang Soo Do World Championships since 2010. A new Taekwondo event is coming in 2025, and the city is also home to the 2024 AAU Junior Olympic Games which feature karate and taekwondo competitions. Other major events include the annual Super32 Wrestling championship, and the NCHSAA Wrestling State Championship, which draws 1,200-plus high school athletes annually.
 

“The largest of the wrestling events held each year is the Super32 Wrestling Championship, which brings 9,000-plus attendees and about 4,000-plus room nights to the area with an estimated economic impact of over $4.3 million to the Greensboro area,” notes Caleb Wilson, national sports sales manager, Greensboro North Carolina CVB. “The 2024 AAU Junior Olympic Games, which showcase youth sports of all types, brings 40,000-plus attendees and over 40,000 room nights to the area for an estimated impact of $68 million to the community. The World Tang Soo Do World Championships brings in more than 2,400 athletes for an estimated economic impact of $2.7 million.”
 

Much of the action occurs at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, a state-of-the-art, 22,000-seat arena directly connected to a 120,000-square-foot exhibit hall. Nine conjoining meeting rooms can be used for weigh-ins, coaches’ meetings and hospitality. The Complex also owns 13 wrestling mats, and having these onsite provides a tremendous logistical advantage for wrestling event organizers.
 

“Many of our wrestling events tend to represent a great combination of local athletes, traveling athletes from around the state, and out-of-state families from the Southeastern and Midwestern United States,” says Wilson. “Super32 is national in nature, and World Tang Soo Do is international.”
 

Memphis, Tennessee

“We have hosted all levels of wrestling, boxing and MMA events. From youth and amateur events to pro events fit for primetime television, Memphis has the venues and infrastructure to fit all operators’ needs,” states JJ Greer, Memphis Sports Council’s director of sports and events. To this point, the city offers a plethora of options such as the Memphis Sports & Events Center, Renasant Convention Center, P7 Sports Academy, ShowPlace Arena, Cannon Center for Performing Arts, FedExForum (home of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies), and Pipkin Building.
 

“We host four to five large events annually and are actively recruiting more combat/mat sports events to host at our premier venues,” says Greer. “We have the dates, space and rates to host the best mat sports events in the world.”
 

Combat sports events previously held in the city include the AAU Wrestling TN Top 100 (2,000 attendees and $583,102 economic impact), Nuway Combat Mummy in Memphis (500 attendees, $87,791 economic impact) and United Fight League (1,500 attendees, $98,831 economic impact).
 

“We’re looking to attract all ages and ability levels,” says Greer. “Given that we have new facilities like the 227,000-square-foot Memphis Sports & Events Center that opened in 2023, and that Memphis is centrally located, we are actively looking to increase the number of large-scale combat sports events in Memphis and Shelby County.”
 

Placer Valley, California

Located just 20 miles east of the Sacramento International Airport, Placer Valley welcomes youth, high school, college and adult combat sports competitions.
 

One of the two main venues is the $34 million, 160,000-square-foot Roebbelen Center that provides 108,250 square feet of open contiguous floor space, electronic score boards, flexible meeting space, two complimentary Wi-Fi networks and more. The other is the 73,000-square-foot Hardwood Palace, offering hardwood flooring, complimentary Wi-Fi, a P.A. system and full-service concessionaire.
 

“Wrestling and martial arts are very prevalent in Placer Valley, and the area hosts multiple grappling and martial arts competitions,” says Donna Dotti, director of sales, Placer Valley Tourism. “We’re still going strong with the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions and expect the middle school and high school divisions to be larger than ever. We’ve also seen an increase in Muay Thai events for this year.” The 2023 WWCTOC attracted 1,029 wrestlers from 18 colleges, 104 high schools, 34 middle schools and 11 states.
 

“The continual growth of the WWCTOC is always exciting to witness and the massive, unobstructed floor space of the Roebbelen Center allows for such growth,” says Dotti. “In 2023, the middle school division experienced a 76 percent increase over 2022, and the high school division went from 93 teams to 104 in 2023. Of the nationally ranked wrestlers who competed, six placed at the 2023 WWCTOC. In combination with a college division, college showcase and motivational speaker, WWCTOC wrestlers arrive as competitors and leave with memories and opportunities for their future.”
 

Wildwood, New Jersey

The Wildwoods Convention Center is the premier venue for combat sports competitions that range from youth wrestling and boxing events to MMA and WWE contests. The 260,000-square-foot facility is equipped with an arena as well as exhibit, ballroom, meeting and pre-function spaces. Located within a day’s drive of one-third of America’s population, the facility can handle groups as small as 100 or as large as 10,000.
 

“The Wildwoods host multiple boxing, wrestling and martial events every year. The most popular annual events are the National Youth Wrestling Duals; War at the Jersey Shore National Youth Wrestling Tournament; the NAGA Battle at the Beach Mixed Martial Arts Tournament; and the WWE pro-wrestling shows,” says Ben Rose, director of marketing and public relations at the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority. “These events attract thousands of sports fans to the area, resulting in significant economic benefits to the Wildwoods and the surrounding area.”
 

In 2023, the destination hosted 25 youth combat sporting events, with a total participation of 54,647, estimated attendance of 136,618, 45 total event days booked, and local economic impact exceeding $15 million. “The Wildwoods are an award-winning Mecca for sporting events, with the Wildwoods Convention Center hosting numerous year-round events, turning the shore town into a hub for sports activity,” says Rose. “With thousands of accommodations and a fully equipped beachfront convention center, the Wildwoods have proven to be a destination that’s fully committed to and experienced at hosting sporting events.” SDM