{"id":699097,"date":"2026-01-16T04:10:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T04:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/699097\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T04:10:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T04:10:18","slug":"stunning-plans-revealed-for-world-record-boxing-crowd-at-san-francisco-show-with-organizers-targeting-oleksandr-usyk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/699097\/","title":{"rendered":"Stunning plans revealed for world record boxing crowd at San Francisco show… with organizers targeting Oleksandr Usyk"},"content":{"rendered":"

By DANIEL MATTHEWS, US SENIOR SPORTS WRITER<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 10:59 EST, 15 January 2026 | Updated: 12:17 EST, 15 January 2026 <\/p>\n

YouTube is spearheading ambitious plans for a boxing show in San Francisco that will set a new world record crowd of nearly 150,000 fans, organizers told the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n

The project, set to be announced on Friday, will form part of the \u2018Iconic’ series – more than a dozen events in 2026 launched by promotional upstart iVisit Boxing.<\/p>\n

The largest ever crowd at a boxing fight is 135, 132. That was set all the way back in August 1941, when Tony Zale fought Billy Pryor at Juneau Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But organizers plan to smash that 85-year-old record on July 11 when they turn San Francisco’s\u00a0Civic Center Plaza into an open-air boxing arena, with a ring erected in front of City Hall and the vast majority of tickets available for free.<\/p>\n

The fight card is set to be finalized in the coming months but IVB has been linked with Oleksandr Usyk and IVB chief Ed Pereira did not rule a move for the heavyweight champion.<\/p>\n

‘We are open to working with all promoters, managers, content creators and fighters, so of course we\u2019d be open to speaking to boxer of that calibre, who wouldn\u2019t want Usyk on their card?’ he told the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n

\"Civic <\/p>\n

\u00a0Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco is set to host a fight with a world-record crowd of 150,000\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Oleksandr <\/p>\n

Oleksandr Usyk retained his titles by beating Tyson Fury on points for the second time<\/p>\n

\"IVB <\/p>\n

IVB chief Ed Pereira helped boxing take over New York’s Times Square back in May 2025<\/p>\n

The July 11 event,\u00a0which will be streamed on YouTube, is slated to include a music festival and a fan village. It forms part of a wider mission to ‘bring boxing back to the people.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘It’s going to be more than just a fight,’ said Pereira, who helped put on some of the biggest events in recent times – including last year’s show in Times Square – before launching his own venture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘What attracted us to YouTube, and YouTube to us, was that commitment to cultural moments,’ Pereira said.\u00a0‘It’s all about creating a cultural moment – a cultural moment in the city of San Francisco, a cultural moment in California, and a cultural moment for the world.’<\/p>\n

YouTube has taken several major steps into broadcasting live sporting events in recent times, including streaming this year’s NFL Brazil game in Sao Paulo.<\/p>\n

‘Anybody can go and put a show on and just produce it live on their own YouTube channel… but\u00a0we are doing exactly the same as what the NFL did,’ Pereira said.\u00a0‘This partnership with YouTube puts us in the next league.’<\/p>\n

He added: ‘Boxing fans want to see the biggest fights and they want to see the biggest fights on the biggest stages. But, ultimately, I want to make it accessible to the casual fan… and everyone has YouTube on their phones.’<\/p>\n

San Francisco was once considered a fighting \u2018mecca\u2019, with legends such as \u2018Gentleman\u2019 Jim Corbett hailing from the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

But the city has become a boxing backwater, with Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Atlantic City and New York hosting many of America\u2019s major fights over the past half-century.<\/p>\n

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\n Stunning plans revealed for world record boxing crowd at San Francisco show… with organizers targeting Oleksandr Usyk<\/p>\n