Visit the Mythical Madison Square Garden

You've surely heard of Madison Square Garden? Read along to learn more about this iconic venue.

Whenever we hear of Madison Square Garden, we instantly think of boxing and the bright lights of Manhattan. In the following article, we’ll share all you need to know about this famous stadium.

The beginnings of Madison Square Garden

Simply known as ‘The Garden’ and sometimes as the MSG, it’s one of the most famous sports venues in the world. It’s located in Manhattan, New York on 7^th and 8^th Avenues, between 31st and 33^rd street. The Garden is right above Pennsylvania Station.

The venue opened for the first time on the 11^th of February, 1968. However, you should know that it wasn’t the first Madison Square Garden to open in New York.  Two MSGs were previously opened in 1879 and 1890 respectively. The previous MSGs were located on 8^th avenue and 50^th street.

The Madison Square Garden that we all know and love was built beside Pennsylvania Station (the Madison Square Garden is currently above the Pennsylvania Station). When the venue was built, the railway connected New York City and Harlem. This service was moved to the Grand Central Terminal in 1871.

The venue was initially a racecourse known as the Gilmore Garden before finally being inaugurated in the sixties, as the Madison Square Garden. It was remodeled and modernized in 1991.

Madison Square Garden and boxing

The MSG was the mecca for boxing for many years before boxing moved to the MSG grand venue in Las Vegas.

Many epic fights have taken place at Madison Square Garden including the fight of the century starring Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazer I in 1971.

The fight was full of controversies – both cultural and political and it was covered by media from all around the world. Frazer came into the fight with a record of 26 wins and 0 losses, while Ali came into the match with a record of 31 wins and 0 losses. It was the first fight to be decided by a unanimous decision.

The Madison Square Garden is also remembered for the impressive fight between Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson in 1942. The fight in 1942 was the start of one of the greatest rivalries in the world of sports.

Other memorable fights include that of Rocky Marciano and Joe Louis in 1951, that of Mike Tyson and Mitch Green in 1986 and that of Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis in 1999.

The Garden Today

The current MSG venue is home to three professional teams: the New York Knicks (since 1968), the New York Ice Hockey Rangers (sine 1969), and the New York Liberty (since 1997).

It also hosted the games of the New York Titans Lacrosse League from 2007 to 2009 and since 1989 it has been a venue for WWE wrestling.

The Garden’s capacity depends on the event taking place. For NBA basketball games the venue holds up to 20,000 people. For hockey and lacrosse games, it can hold crowds of up to 18,000. When it comes to concerts and wrestling, the garden can hold up to 20,000 to 23,000 fans respectively.

It’s also important to acknowledge the history that MSG has hosting music events. It’s had the ‘honor’ to host icons such as Celine Dion, Queen, Michael Jackson, Kiss, Elvis Presley, and Mariah Carey. In 2015 Pope Francis officiated mass in the venue.

If you plan on traveling to New York, don’t hesitate to take a look at the MSG calendar. Visit one of the most emblematic stadiums in the world!