While Red Sox Scrap In Bronx, Boxing Takes Spotlight At Fenway

The Sweet Science is making a long-awaited return to Fenway Park, with the iconic ballpark set to host its first fight card since 1956 on Saturday night.

The event, called “Fight Night at Fenway,” will feature 11 bouts and marks the culmination of a yearslong push by Mark and Matt Nolan — twin brothers, full-time teachers, and lifelong boxing enthusiasts — to bring big-time boxing back to the city’s most storied venue. “Just the idea that some kid can fight his way to Fenway Park,” Matt Nolan told Leah Willingham of the Associated Press, “you can’t beat it.”

Fenway was once a stage for all kinds of events, including regular boxing cards that date back to 1920. Saturday’s card revives that legacy and pays tribute to Boston’s deep roots in the sport. John L. Sullivan, Sam Langford, Marvin Hagler, Rocky Marciano, and Tony DeMarco — who last fought and won at Fenway nearly 70 years ago — all loom large in the ballpark’s brawling history.

The Nolans have built their reputation hosting smaller events across Boston, guided by a simple formula: fair pay, real matchups, and venues that give the sport the stage it deserves. That pitch landed with Fenway Sports Group, who opened the doors to the ballpark for their biggest night yet.

“They’re making sure that every fight is well-matched,” said Thomas “The Kid” O’Toole, an undefeated Irish fighter based in Boston who headlines the card against veteran Vaughn Alexander.

Also on the bill: Massachusetts native Lexi “Lil Savage” Bolduc, who will face Sarah Couillard in a rematch. “To be able to kind of stand on that same ground of some of the most accomplished athletes,” she told Willingham, “it’s really remarkable.”