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Street Boxing Matches Gain Popularity in Bogota
Santiago Abril’s weekend bouts use heavier gloves, no headgear and about $100 prizes as police question permits and safety plans.
- Santiago Abril organizes improvised boxing matches in Bogota parks, setting up an octagonal cage for dozens of young men and women who gather on weekends to compete without official municipal permits.
- Participants pay $5 to $15 to compete in two-round matches with heavier gloves but no headgear. Abril, who promotes fights under the nickname King Abril, claims the sport is "monopolized" by promoters, making permit acquisition difficult.
- Winners of consecutive bouts earn cash prizes of around $100, while participants like Ingrid Prieto and Eliber Parra Garc join for therapy and adrenaline. Parra Garc, 27, repairs mobile phones and said he sought "the chance to make some money."
- Bogota's municipal government told the Associated Press that matches require permits and emergency plans. Police have repeatedly asked Abril to dismantle his portable ring in several parks after he failed to present required documentation.
- Interest in the street fights is growing despite regulatory challenges, with Abril promoting events on his YouTube account, which has amassed 131,000 subscribers. "We started doing this on streets, on the pavement," Abril said. "Now we have a cage, gloves and a mat.
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23 Articles
23 Articles
Yakima Herald-Republic+4 Reposted by 4 other sources
Strangers trade punches and chase thrills at Colombia’s pop-up fights
Santiago Abril has been organizing pop-up boxing matches in parks around Bogota, Colombia, without official permits. He sets up a portable ring made of rubber and plastic, where young men and women gather on weekends to face off. Participants pay…
The Washington Post+14 Reposted by 14 other sources
Street boxing matches gain popularity in Bogota
·Washington, United States
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The amateur boxing fight in Bogotá is about to begin. The foam floor ring surrounded by plastic bars, instead of the traditional ropes, is armed in a park. But everything stopped because of the arrival of the police.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources23
Leaning Left7Leaning Right2Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution59% Center
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources are Center
59% Center
L 32%
C 59%
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