The Saturday May 31^ST Pro-am was proof that boxing fans are strong in Cincinnati. Build the ring, provide the stage for the local warriors and a sold out audience will follow. The Hyatt Regency Ballroom in downtown Cincinnati came alive. Over 1500 boxing fans turned out for the standing room only extravaganza.

Included among the locals were former Bantamweight Champion Tim Austin, former Heavyweight Contender Larry Donald, and former Welterweight contender Tommy Ayers. Throw in Hall of Fame Inductee and Cincinnati’s living legend Aaron “The Hawk” Pryor, and you definitely have a Cincinnati star studded crowd.

The strong fan support proves that Cincinnati could be a great boxing city again. The undefeated Aaron Pryor Jr. could be a huge draw for the Cincinnati fan base; with the great Emmanuel Steward training and the Hawk himself in the corner, it would be a huge sellout.

Cincinnati has strong roots in the sport of boxing,  with the names of the legends mentioned above, not to mention the late great Ezzard Charles. In addition, the reigning middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik resides in Youngstown, Ohio. Big Buster Douglas lives just two hours north of Cincinnati in Columbus, Ohio. Iron Mike Tyson has also called Ohio home before.

A fictional boxing novel is due for release in the fall of 2008 with Cincinnati as the setting. Currently, boxing in Cincinnati gets very little local coverage. That all could change with the next generation sluggers, “Aaron Pryor Jr.” and the Cincinnati Legend “The Hawk.”  Cincinnati could easily become the next great boxing venue.