A world championship boxing match could be held at Alcatraz Island as promoters say they’re edging closer to landing a deal for a summer title fight.
World Boxing Organization junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez is close to finalizing a deal to defend his title at the former federal penitentiary in June or July, according to the boxing magazine Ring (opens in new tab).
It would be the first professional boxing event at the facility, which closed as a prison in 1963 and operates as a museum that attracts 1.5 million visitors annually.
But the fight still requires approval from the National Park Service, which manages Alcatraz as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and it could be some ways off.
“The first step in requesting the use of the park for this kind of activity is to submit an application for a special park use permit, which begins an in-depth review process,” a spokesperson said. “We have not yet received an application for this proposed event.”
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Turki Alalshikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, is backing the proposed fight. Alalshikh purchased Ring in November and has expressed interest in staging boxing events at iconic locations worldwide.
“What do you think, if there is a fight in Alcatraz jail one day?” Alalshikh said in a conversation with ESPN’s Mike Coppinger.
“I would love that!” Coppinger replied. “I used to live in San Francisco. I’ve been to the Alcatraz museum.”
“Sometimes I get in my mind I want different places to do fights,” Alalshikh said. “Sometimes in mountains, maybe someday in the pyramids in Mexico, someday in the Eiffel Tower in France, the Coliseum in Italy.”
The Alcatraz bout would be part of a three-fight deal involving Ring, promotion company Top Rank, and Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season entertainment festival.
Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) last fought in June 2023, successfully defending his title with a unanimous decision over Steve Claggett.
No opponent has been named for the 27-year-old champion’s potential appearance at “The Rock,” the nickname for the prison that once housed criminals like Al Capone. The island is just over a mile from San Francisco.