Fashionable fisticuffs
The Freret Street Boxing Gym has one ring, no air-conditioning, and a portable toilet out back. It’s filled with folks serious about working out, jumping rope, hitting the speed bag, lifting free weights (no machines), and sparring.
In 2005, owner Mike Tata began hosting and promoting a lineup of boxing matches to the public. Staged four times a year, the Friday Night Fights have developed an almost cultlike following that includes attendees of all types, from serious boxing buffs who follow the sport to those who simply enjoy the spectacle. The fights, which take place in the street to accommodate the large crowds, feel as much like a festival as an athletic competition. Spectators are entertained by DJs, drag queens, reggae bands, burlesque performers, hot-dog-eating and bikini contests (not yet one and the same, but that can’t be ruled out), dance troupes, and fans dressed up in costumes that rival Mardi Gras attire. Crowd participation is everything—many “misters” have been crowned Miss Friday Night Fights based on audience applause—and winners are often decided by the drunkest and rowdiest. The matches also attract atypical fighters. Father Kevin Wildes—Jesuit priest, president of Loyola University and holder of four master’s degrees and a PhD in philosophy—has stepped into the ring, with the crowd chanting “Father, Father!” to spur him on.
Info
Address 1632 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70113, +1 504.895.1859, Facebook: Friday Night Fights Gym/HQ | Hours Gym: Mon–Fri 9am–8pm, Sat and Sun 9am–5pm. Friday Night Fights: check Facebook page for upcoming dates and location.| Tip Another Friday-night must-see is Miss Trixie Minx—New Orleans’ premier burlesque queen—performing at midnight each week at Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, inside the Royal Sonesta Hotel (300 Bourbon St). Minx has said of herself, “I’m just a Jewish housewife with no talent for cleaning or cooking. But, I can twirl tassels.”
For Tata, the Friday Night Fights are, financially speaking, not much more than a nonprofit event. He claims the ticket price covers little more than the costs. But Tata is in it for the fun, not the dough. Each event features eight fights (male and female) of three rounds each and six different types of entertainment. Crowds average between 1250 to 1500 people, so come early if you want to find a good seat among the encampments of regulars with their folding lawn chairs, ice coolers (the event is B.Y.O.B.), and occasional charcoal grills.
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