Type Athletic | Genre(s) Boxing | |
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Address 56 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, NJ Owner Patrick Daniel McGuigan | ||
The McGuigan Harrison Athletic Club, also known as McGuigan's Arena or The Casino, was a popular sports and social club in Harrison, NJ in the early 1900s owned by NJ Hall of Fame boxer and promoter Paddy McGuigan. The club was used primarily to host boxing matches, but also hosted dances and other functions.
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Fight records
McGuigan opened his club after the conclusion of his boxing career, which may have gone well into his 50's. Sometimes referred to as Old Paddy McGuigan's "Bucket of Blood," the club was a widely popular venue for at least 18 years, based on dates found in surviving fight records.
Fights at the club were regularly followed by the Newark Evening News and the Newark Star-Eagle.
Controversy
On March 4, 1911, a boy boxer named Angelo "Young Foster" Venizona died after being hospitalized due to injuries sustained in a bout with boxer William Kennedy at McGuigan's club the previous night. Reportedly, the match ended without a knockdown or knockout after four rounds and both competitors shook hands in the dressing room. Shortly afterwards, Venizona fell backwards onto the ground while sitting on a railing inside the club. A physician instructed Venizona to be taken home after evaluating him. After a confrontation between the boy's father and the men who took him home regarding the source of his injury, Venizona was taken to the City Hospital in Newark. Harrison detectives ruled that Venizona's death was caused by a blood clot at the base of his brain due to a blow to the head sustained during the match, which may have also caused him to fall off of the railing afterwards. Kennedy was arrested and charged with manslaughter. McGuigan and two other men were arrested and charged with aiding and abetting, arraigned in the Harrison Police Courts, and taken to the Hudson County Courthouse. McGuigan was released on $500 bail, while the two others were held as material witnesses. Upon receiving a letter from the case prosecutor, Harrison's Chief of Police notified McGuigan that boxing matches would no longer be permitted at the club. It is unknown how this ban was resolved or circumvented, as bouts continued to take place at the club for at least the following 15 years.