Can Boxing Make It in Orange County This Time : Tradition Says No Way, but That Isn’t Stopping Don Fraser in Round 2

Professional boxing in Orange County owns the rich, storied and time-honored tradition of, say, major league baseball in Moscow.

We’re talking about the land of suntans, Angel fans, Disneyland and high-school marching bands, remember. We’re talking about a county that has never looked upon fighting as a prime form of entertainment--unless, of course, you’re counting the Wally George Show.

Orange Countians like to watch Reggie Jackson swing, Eric Dickerson run and little Johnny win his letter for ol’ Alma Mater High on Friday nights. They like to surf and swim and snorkel and jog and golf and hit tennis balls and spike volleyballs.

They haven’t shown any real inclination for liking bloodied noses, busted jaws and cracked ribs.

There is proof of this.

Boxing has taken an occasional jab at the Orange County sports fan. Promoters of pugilistics have ventured into the Santa Ana Bowl, the Orange County Fairgrounds, the Disneyland Hotel and the Anaheim Convention Center over the years, usually to arrive at the same conclusion: You can try it once or twice, but long-term plans have short life spans.

A single bout, when accompanied by a couple of marquee names and saturation advertising, has succeeded in bringing out the curiosity-seekers. A 1971 fight featuring Mike Quarry drew 8,200 to the Convention Center. At the same site a year later, Emile Griffith defeated Armando Muniz in front of 8,833 fans. More than 6,000 fans turned out in 1976 to watch Danny (Little Red) Lopez.

Those were successful one-shots. But any attempt to make boxing regular fare in Orange County has swiftly been given the eight-count.

In 1973, a promoter named Mickey Davies tried to schedule monthly cards at the Convention Center. Again, for one night, the idea looked good.

Davies’ first card drew 6,800. But attendance for the next two months slipped to 4,500 and then 1,000. By the fourth month, the boxing series was history.

Don Fraser, a longtime promoter of fights at the Olympic Auditorium and the Forum, attempted to resurrect the idea in 1975. Ten bouts were scheduled. Half of them wound up in the red and Fraser wound up heading back to Los Angeles.

The word went out: Orange County and pro boxing don’t mix. If you’re a promoter and you care about making money, stay away.

So why, then, has Fraser returned, smiling and preparing to embark on another boxing series in--of all places--Irvine? Why has he agreed to promote monthly boxing cards at the Irvine Marriott Hotel, the first of which being scheduled for tonight at 8?

Different conditions, Fraser will tell you. And, more important, lesser expectations.

For one, big crowds are no longer the objective. The seating capacity in the Irvine Marriott ballroom, where all the bouts will be held, is limited to 1,500. The hotel is charging Fraser no rent, so overhead costs are down. “If we draw 700, we’ll break even,” Fraser said.

Secondly, the emphasis is on local fighters rather than the big-name (and big-money) attractions. Tonight’s main event pits Bert Lee against Danny Lopez. No, not that Danny Lopez. This one is 25 years old, a former world kick-boxing champion who lives in Long Beach and trains in Orange. He does have a nickname--”Magic”--but he bears no relation to Little Red.

Lee hails from Anaheim. Other boxers on tonight’s card include Baby Joe Ruelas (Santa Ana), Sal Lujan (Huntington Beach), Luis Perez (Santa Ana) and Lewis Hightower (Anaheim).

The thinking is: If you can’t afford big-time talent, go with the next best thing--local names. It’s infinitely less expensive and Anaheim residents just might be interested enough to turn out to watch a fighter from their community.

“You’re not going to get publicity unless you book a Leonard, a Hagler or a Hearns,” Fraser said. “The media are just not interested in it. (But) Orange County fans might be interested in Orange County-bred fighters. There’s that hometown flavor.

“We intend to keep it that way. It’s elementary. If you have local kids, use ‘em.”

Thirdly, Fraser and Ed Proenza, the Marriott’s director of marketing, are attempting to take a traditional stumbling block of Orange County boxing--demographics--and make it work in their favor. They envision a certain type of fan turning out for boxing in Irvine--upper-middle class, well-educated, white-collar professionals--and they want to give the people what they want.

Thus, this is what they are offering: Boxing in the ballroom of a plush mid-county hotel, free parking, restaurants for pre-fight dining and bars for post-bout entertainment.

“We’ve been selling tickets to stock brokers, bankers, attorneys, businessmen who want to entertain their clients,” Proenza said. “We see some guy coming here for a business meeting or dinner with his wife, staying for the boxing and then having a night-cap afterward.”

That’s one reason why Proenza and the Marriott decided to waive rental fees in their agreement with Fraser and charge one price ($15) for all tickets. Proenza believes the boxing will benefit the Marriott just by drawing customers to the hotel’s restaurants and bars.

“We’re not going to pay the mortgage with boxing,” Proenza said. “The initial objective is not to make money, but to put on a special event and get us some publicity. If the hotel gets publicity and we get some nice people to come out for the fights, we’ll be happy.”

Proenza has tried this sort of thing before, when he held a similar position at another Marriott in Portland. He began a monthly boxing series there in 1982, a series that still continues today.

“We went strictly with Northwestern fighters,” Proenza said. “There’s a lot of talent and a lot of interest in boxing in that area. Portland is basically a blue-collar town.”

Or, as Fraser puts it, “Portland’s more of a lumberjack community, with country boys who like boxing.”

Orange County is a bit different.

“Here,” Fraser said, “we’re going for the top hat and tails. You’ll see a very high class-looking crowd Monday night.”

But, is this the type of crowd that will keep coming back for boxing? Or will it view A Night At the Fights as simple novelty, a unique way to spend one evening on the town?

“I think there are true boxing fans in Orange County,” Proenza said. “They live and work here. They just don’t want to go into L.A. to see the fights.

“We’re offering them a chance to go to a hotel right in the dead center of the county and see boxing in a safe environment without having to commute. If we take care of them and they like the shows, they’ll come back.”

If they do, it’ll be an Orange County boxing first.