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Cosmopolitan brings swagger, swank as boxing host

Boxing @ Cosmopolitan

Justin M. Bowen

John Unwin, the chief executive officer at the The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, watches the action during ESPN Friday Night Fights at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Friday, March 25, 2011.

Boxing @ Cosmopolitan

A view from the VIP area during ESPN Friday Night Fights at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Friday, March 25, 2011. Launch slideshow »
John Unwin

John Unwin

Sitting on red leather sofas, sipping cocktails made with top-shelf alcohol and socializing with friends seems like an average night on the town in Las Vegas.

Except that this scene is alongside a boxing ring.

Welcome to the newest venue for VIP seating on the Strip: the Chelsea Ballroom at the Cosmopolitan, where the other night some of the resort’s best customers watched a fight 10 feet from the ropes, enjoying an open bar, sitting in couches and surely having the best view of the action short of the referee’s. About 200 fans mingled in the $250-a-seat section, elevated so they were at eye-level with the fighters. Complete with sofas, chairs and tables — and waitresses serving food and drinks — it was like a trendy club built inside a boxing venue. The intimate setting is one-of-a-kind.

“It’s fantastic because we are on the same level of the ring. It’s a great setup,” said Rolando Coro, who along with three friends sat in the section Friday night.

John Unwin, Cosmo CEO, is a lifelong boxing enthusiast and the driving force in bringing the sport to the property. His vision is turning a night of boxing into a night on the town — reminiscent of the days when boxing was king in a city often referred to as the fighting capital of the world.

“Boxing and Las Vegas have a very long history together,” Unwin said. “It used to be a very sexy thing to go and make an evening at the fight. I think people still have a fondness of that in their memory.”

The ballroom seated about 1,500 people, with the non-VIP area packed with your typical fight fan. Literally a few feet from the nightclub-theme section were plenty of middle-age men standing for most of the three-minute rounds while grasping a beer and yelling encouragement to the fighters.

In the VIP area, several spectators were gamblers comped by casino hosts and dressed in suits or other expensive clothing.

It’s that blend that gives Unwin satisfaction. He mingled with guests most of the night, but always kept a close eye on the ring. For those who didn’t buy tickets, he made sure the ESPN feed was shown on the video marquee outside the property on the Strip.

“The venue was spectacular. It was really cutting edge,” said Leon Margules, president of Warriors Boxing Promotions, which promoted the fight. “It was pretty cool (for the fans in the VIP area) to be ring level and so close to the ring at the same time. Usually, when you are that close to the ring, you are looking up at the fighters all night.”

Sitting on a sofa in the VIP section was more than Tori Bowman could have asked for in attending her first fight. She was close enough to see and hear every punch.

“It is comfortable seating and you are able to socialize with the people around you, which is nice as well,” Bowman said.

Like all properties hosting their first fight, the layout at the Cosmo had to be approved by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Often, properties forget the little things — such as chairs for the three judges or dressing rooms close to the ring — when setting up the venue, said Keith Kizer, the commission’s executive director.

That wasn’t the case for the Cosmo. Kizer did a walk-through the day before the fight and was impressed that every detail was accounted for. “They were on top of everything,” he said.

The Cosmo will host another card April 29, taking the action outside to the Boulevard Pool for fights that will also be televised by ESPN2. And, like the Chelsea Ballroom, the elevated pool deck will give certain fans a unique vantage point to watch the fights.

“The sight line will just be incredible,” Margules said of the pool area, which will seat around 2,500. “You will be right on top of the action. It will be more intimate. That is what makes boxing special is when more people are involved. It will be almost like an interactive experience.”

It will be the first outdoor fights in Nevada since M Resort hosted a mixed martial arts card in October 2009, Kizer said. But back in the day, when boxing was thriving in Las Vegas, several notable fights were held outside at Caesars Palace.

That’s an era Unwin fondly recalls. It’s something he hopes to duplicate — well, with the addition of some trendy sofas.

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