 animal, with crazed fans wanting to be in the stadium to see the magic happen.
MSG is a special place for many reasons, the history, the uniqueness of the building and the fights that made it The Mecca of Boxing.
The original Madison Square Garden opened in 1879 to be mainly used for P.T. Barnum circuses. It had a capacity of 10,000 and was located near Madison Square Park. The first MSG didn't have a roof, and due to the inconveniences of bad weather, was knocked down in just 11 years, before being rebuilt.
Madison Square Garden II was designed by architect Stanford White. It was torn down to make room for what would become the Cass Gilbert-designed New York Life Building in 1925.
Madison Square Garden III is the house that Tex built. Groundbreaking on the third MSG occurred on Jan. 9, 1925, with money from boxing promoter Tex Richard. The arena was designed by Thomas W. Lamb, costing $4.75 million and taking 249 days.
Boxing was so popular in the United States and needed an arena to match its popularity. Madison Square Garden III was that arena.
If you wanted a fight to get noticed you fought at the Garden and for many boxers the moment they knew they made it was the moment they saw their name in lights at the historic arena.
The original 18.5-x18.5-foot ring, which was brought from the second and third MSG, was retired on Sept. 19, 2007 and now sits at the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Madison Square Garden IV opened Feb. 11, 1968 and went through a renovation in 2013.
Boxing at MSG dates back to the late 1800s at the second version of Madison Square Garden.
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, "The Fight of the Century"
For Ali vs. Frazier, promoters had to institute a lottery system because the demand for tickets was so high; the atmosphere was so intense.
The fight marked the first time two undefeated fighters met for the world heavyweight title.
Ali and Frazier had both loyal supporters and serious haters. Ali was anti-establishment and anti-war movement, while Frazier represented the other side. The fight was a symbol of a larger generational clash and a divided crowd flooded into the Garden to watch the two greats battle it out.
A parade of fans stretched for blocks around the arena and people were dressed up for the event of the century. Frank Sinatra was even ringside as a photographer after being hired by a magazine to take photos of the event.
Frazier came into the fight 26-0 with 23 KOs and Ali entered the ring 31-0 with 25 KOs. Frazier won the fight via unanimous decision and the fight went the full 15-round championship distance.
Ali opened strong, dominating the first three rounds, but found himself in trouble over the final seconds of the third, when Frazier connected with a hook to Ali's jaw that snapped his neck back.
Ali started to look tired after the sixth and couldn't bring the same energy with his hits. In round eight, Frazier grabbed Ali by the wrists, swinging Ali into the center of the ring. Ali retaliated by grabbing Frazier and the two had to be separated.
In round 15 Frazier landed a left hook that put Ali on his back, sprawled out on the canvas. Ali was suffering from a severely swollen jaw, but was able to get back on his feet. Not long after Ali suffered multiple blows from Frazier, the judges officially awarded the title to "Smokin' Joe," who won by a unanimous decision, handing Ali his first professional loss.
This was the first of a trilogy of fights, the rematches both won by Ali.
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Jack Dempsey only fought once in the Garden, but it was a fight to remember. Dempsey was the heavy favorite going into the fight, but it was not as easy for the fighter as fans expected.
After 11 physical rounds, Dempsey got his KO against the fighter nicknamed "KO," Bill Brennan, in round 12.
Sugar Ray Robinson won a unanimous 10-round decision. Many call Robinson the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time.
This was the first time that the two stars met, but it would not be the last.
Emile Griffith lost to Nino Benvenuti by unanimous decision in their 15-round fight. Benvenuti beat Emile Griffith to become the middleweight champion at Madison Square Garden. Griffith was knocked down in the second round and Benvenuti was knocked down in the fourth of that bout, which Ring Magazine called the 1967 Fight of The Year.
It marked the beginning of what would be a trilogy of fights to win the world middleweight title.
Joe Frazier entered the fight 19-0 with 17 KOs and Buster Mathis entered 23-0, also with 17 KOs.
Frazier beat Mathis via KO, which came at 2:33 of the 11th round, to become the heavyweight champion of the world. Frazier's knockout punch was so hard that it sent Mathis bloodied and over the bottom strand of the ropes. Somehow, Mathis got up, but the referee stopped the fight.
The crowd of 18,096 gated $658,500, which was a record at the time. The bout also included Emile Griffith vs. Nino Benvenuti III.
Duran knocked out Huertas in the first round of his first fight in America at MSG. The 20-year-old Duran came into the fight 25-0 and had four years of experience in the Panamanian fight circut.
The New York City fight crowd loved him and the Garden became his second home.
Duran won his first world title by defeating WBA lightweight champion Buchanan. He beat Buchanan via a 13th-round TKO.
After the bell rang following the 13th round, Duran hit Buchanan with a low blow, causing him to sink toward the canvas in pain. Duran maintains that he won the fight with a legal hit.
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier would take the ring together to face off at MSG once again nearly three years after their epic first fight.
Ali got revenge on Frazier in the rematch with a unanimous-decision victory.
Moore's eye was swollen shut by the end of the sixth round and he was on the floor towards the end of the seventh. The fight was stopped in the eighth and Duran won his third world title.
Duran won without any trouble and the Garden crowd went crazy. It was also Duran's 32nd birthday and the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to the underdog winner as he stood in the ring with his fist up in glory.
Mike Tyson came into the fight 20-0, while Mitch Green stood at 16-1-1. With both of the fighters being from New York, the fight was billed as "New York Is Busting Out." It was Tyson's first fight at MSG and Green was a heated rival of his.
Tyson was unable to record a KO, but was in control for the majority of the fight.
In a lopsided unanimous decision, Tyson won the fight.
The two would never get in the ring together again, but did take part in a notorious street fight two years later.
Arturo Gatti was struggling through five rounds, but avoided a loss by knocking out Wilson Rodriguez in the sixth.
The fight was named fight of the year by Ring Magazine. It was Gatti's first defense of the IBF featherweight championship.
This fight was one of the first major sporting events in New York after the 9/11 attacks and both fighters honored those who had fallen before the bout.
An underdog Bernard Hopkins defeated Felix Trinidad with an 11th-round TKO, as one of the signature wins of his historic career.
The fight titled "X-Plosive" lived up to its name with WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto defeating Zab Judah by 11th-round TKO. It was Cotto's biggest win in front of his biggest audience and was arguably the biggest fight of the year.
Judah trailed 97-91 on the scorecards and blamed his loss on two clear low blows - one in the first round and one in the third. The first shot put Judah on the ground in the first round. The referee warned Cotto, but that would not be his last low blow of the night. During the third round, Cotto landed another below-the-belt shot and was deducted a point.
By round 10, Judah was bleeding from a cut over his eye and was injured from an uppercut. Judah managed to get up after every drop to the canvas, but as Cotto turned him sideways along the ropes while throwing punches, the ref was forced to stop the fight.
When you think of boxing and MSG, there are a few names that immediately jump out. While most of those iconic fighters are listed above, there are a few others that cannot go unmentioned.
Breland was one of the best amateur boxers and was the first man to win five consecutive Golden Gloves titles. He brought Golden Gloves to the next level and ended his career with a 110-1 amateur ledger. He was also in the audience for Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, one of the most iconic events in Garden history.
Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong fought at MSG 37 times between the two of them. The two got in the ring together once, too, in a fight that Robinson won in 10 rounds back in August 1943.
Armstrong became