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BOSTON (AP) 鈥� For the first time in nearly 70 years, boxing is returning to Boston鈥檚 famed Fenway Park.

The 11-fight card is the culmination of years of effort by twin brothers and longtime public schoolteachers who grew up in Watertown and want to revitalize boxing in the city that was home to some of the greatest athletes in the sport鈥檚 history.

It鈥檚 also symbolic of a shift back to the roots of the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, to when it wasn鈥檛 just used for Red Sox games but for other sports and political events.

鈥淢ost people鈥檚 experience there is solely related to baseball,鈥� said Richard Johnson, Fenway expert and curator at The Sports Museum in Boston. 鈥淏ut the fact is that this year, you can see an event that鈥檒l be very similar to what your grandparents saw.鈥�

Promoters Mark and Matt Nolan want 鈥淔ight Night at Fenway,鈥� scheduled for Saturday, to be both a time capsule and time machine, taking spectators back to boxing鈥檚 glory days and what the sport can be for the city in the future.

The Nolans got their license to organize fights last year with the goal of bringing boxing back to Boston. After Fenway, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 mission accomplished,鈥� Matt Nolan said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just like our dream, it鈥檚 everybody鈥檚 dream 鈥� every boxer on planet Earth,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust the idea that some kid can fight his way to Fenway Park. It鈥檚 like hitting the lottery. You can鈥檛 you can鈥檛 beat it. There鈥檚 nothing comparable.鈥�

A rich history

Boston has played a long and impressive role in American boxing history and the development of the sport itself, said Johnson, author of 鈥淔ield of Our Fathers, An Illustrated History of Fenway Park.鈥�

The city was home to 鈥淏oston鈥檚 Strong Boy,鈥� John L. Sullivan, born in 1858 to Irish immigrant parents and widely considered America鈥檚 first sports superstar. The first heavyweight champion of the world, he was as famous as Muhammad Ali was in his time.

Sam Langford, a Black Canadian-born boxer, moved to Boston as a teenager but was blocked from competing in the world championships by racist policies and is considered one of the greatest non-champions in boxing.

Other boxing stars with Boston connections include Marvin Hagler and Rocky Marciano of nearby Brockton. 鈥漈he Boston Bomber鈥� Tony DeMarco, whose statue raises his fists at passersby in Boston鈥檚 North End, was the last fighter to win in the ring at Fenway in 1956.

For a time after it was built, Fenway Park was the only outdoor venue with a significant seating capacity in Boston, making it a destination for all kinds of events, including boxing starting in 1920.

After new owners took over in 2002, the park became a venue for concerts and sporting events like hockey, snowboarding, Irish football and curling.

鈥淏ack in the day, it was sort of the Swiss Army knife of sports facilities in Boston. And it鈥檚 returned to that 鈥� a little bit of everything. So, returning boxing to the park is just a nod to the past,鈥� Johnson said.

Other venues can feel 鈥渕ore corporate and sterile,鈥� but Fenway is living history, said Johnson, who calls it the 鈥渓argest open-air museum in New England.鈥�

A different pitch

Mark Nolan said it鈥檚 not for lack of trying that no one has hosted a boxing fight at Fenway in almost 70 years. But many promoters couldn鈥檛 make a pitch that landed with ballpark management.

The Nolans, who teach full time and own a boxing gym in Waltham where people can train regardless of their ability to pay, were different. After success hosting events at other venues, Mark Nolan said Fenway Sports Group connected to their 鈥渆veryman鈥� appeal and decided to give them a shot.

The brothers fell in love with boxing while accompanying their father, a boat captain, to the gym as kids.

When they expanded from coaching amateur boxers to professionals five years ago, they were dismayed by what they found: shows full of uneven fights set up to make the promoters as much money as possible, with established amateurs fighting people who 鈥渉ave no right putting gloves on in any capacity whatsoever鈥� in venues like high school gymnasiums. Fighters weren鈥檛 being paid fairly and contracts weren鈥檛 transparent.

They came up with a simple business plan: pick good venues, pay fighters well and only host matches in Boston proper. They said a lot of promoters sell fighters, but they鈥檙e focused on selling fights fans want to see.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e making sure that every fight is well-matched,鈥� said Thomas 鈥淭he Kid鈥� O鈥橳oole, a fighter from rural Galway, Ireland, who has lived in Boston for the past two years, 鈥淣obody wants to see someone go in and just knock their opponent out right away and beat them up for four, six, eight rounds. They want to see a competitive fight.鈥�

O鈥橳oole went professional in 2021 and is undefeated with 13 fights. He said his fight against St. Louis-born Vaughn 鈥淒a Animal鈥� Alexander at Fenway will be 鈥渢he biggest test of his career.鈥�

Massachusetts-born Lexi 鈥淟il Savage鈥� Bolduc will compete in her fourth professional fight. She faces Sarah Couillard in a rematch after coming out on the losing end of a majority draw at the Royale.

鈥淔ighting at Fenway, I think adds a little bit of pressure because I鈥檓 local, I grew up in Mass and idolized a lot of players as I was growing up. … But at the same time, I鈥檓 trying to use it just as a huge opportunity and really soak in the moment,鈥� she said. “Pressure makes diamonds.

鈥淭o be able to kind of stand on that same ground of some of the most accomplished athletes, it鈥檚 really remarkable,鈥� she said.