Michael’s Eighth Avenue, Home of the Ballroom Boxing Series

By Gary “Digital” Williams

Michael’s Eighth Avenue, a catering hall in Glen Burnie, MD that hosted some of the great pro boxing cards in Maryland history, is closing its doors.

In a press release, the location said that they are being forced to close after 30 years because their property management decided to terminate their lease. The hall was originally owned by Maryland Senator Michael J. Wagner and his son, Scott.

From 1995-2010, Michael’s served as the home of Ballroom Boxing, one of the best club shows on the East Coast, if not the country. Scott Wagner, who served as the promoter, along with matchmakers Chris Middendorf and Josh Hall and event coordinator Dave Wilkerson, brought in a myriad of outstanding talent as they developed local boxers like Alfonso Daniels, Jimmy Lange, and Darnell “The Ding-A-Ling Man” Wilson. They would also bring in former world champions like Hasim Rahman, Kermit Cintron, Orlin Norris, and Al Cole and would be an early proving ground for future world champions like Terence Crawford, who fought his second pro bout in the Ballroom, and the Dirrell Brothers who made their pro debuts in Glen Burnie. Boxing luminaries such as Lou DiBella, Bert Sugar, and Lou Duva, would make frequent appearances in Glen Burnie. DiBella would call Ballroom Boxing “the best club show promotion in the country” and would use elements of the promotion when forming his own Broadway Boxing cards.

At the height of its fame, Ballroom Boxing had a television package shown around the world anchored by broadcasters Larry Michael, Jon Saraceno, and John Scheinman and a weekly radio show hosted by Wagner and Scotty Crouse.

The atmosphere at Ballroom Boxing shows was also second to none as the boxing was augmented by large portions of food and drink as well as the beautiful women that were a part of each card. In later years, local promoters would hold amateur cards in the location. Michael J. Wagner passed away in February of 2014 at the age of 74. Scott Wagner passed in February of 2018 at the age of 49.