2007年VOA标准英语-Madison Square Garden Retires Storied Boxing Ri

By Victoria Cavaliere
New York
19 September 2007

The boxing ring at New York City's Madison Square Garden that over the past 82 years saw thousands of boxing greats rise and fall is being sent into retirement¹. Victoria Cavaliere reports from VOA's New York Bureau the ring found a new home at the museum of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Madison Square Garden's storied boxing ring has been the venue² for more championship bouts⁴ than any other ring in existence. It's the ring where many boxing legends made their debut⁵, won a world championship or lost their title. George Foreman's first-ever professional fight was in the ring in 1972. The so-called "Fight of the Century" was also fought at the Garden on March 8th, 1971, between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. Frazier won the 15-round bout³ by a unanimous decision.

The ring debuted⁶ at the Garden in 1925 and the last fight took place there in June. On Wednesday, Madison Square Garden threw a "retirement party" for the ring and invited some of boxing's most recognizable-faces. They included Joe Frazier, Jose Torres, Emile Griffith and Bernard Hopkins.

Joel Fisher, the senior vice⁷ president of sports at the Garden, said it was a tough decision to decide to retire the ring. "It's really a bittersweet day to be honest. After 82-years, Madison Square Garden is officially retiring this legendary⁸ boxing ring. Unfortunately, this ring has begun to show it's age and it has become more and more difficult to maintain and set up," he said.

Inside the ropes, the ring measures five-point-six meters on each side. Boxing officials say today's fighters want even bigger rings for their bouts. The old Madison Square Garden ring will be replaced with a six-by-six meter ring that will host its first match October 6th between the World Boxing Council's heavyweight champion, Oleg Maskaev, and its number one ranked contender, Nigerian Samuel Peter.

The old ring will move to the upstate New York town of Canastota, where the International Boxing Hall of Fame has its headquarters. Boxing promoter Don King says the ring and Madison Square Garden helped make boxing a mainstream⁹ sports attraction in the United States. "The Garden is the temple, the temple of boxing. It's where you go to pray and pay. And it's a place where everyone can come for all sorts of sporting events. But it is boxing that really put the Garden on the map," he said.

One part of the ring that will stay behind at the Garden is the brass¹⁰ bell that rings in the beginning and end of each round.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

3 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

4 bouts   

n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作

参考例句：

• For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

6 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

9 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

10 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。