Ohio National Guard Armory

The Ohio National Guard Armory was an armory located in Cincinnati, Ohio at 1415-37 Freeman Avenue. The building featured Gothic and Romanesque details culminating in several turreted towers starkly reminiscent of medieval European fortresses. It served as an occasional boxing venue prior to 1926, with Harry Greb making a notable appearance there. In November 1926, it began an era of regular use under the promotion of Billy O'Brien who promoted Saturday shows under the 47th Regiment of the Ohio National Guard. Shows continued to be held with regularity into the early 1930s, with the venue being one of the first clubs in which future World featherweight champion Freddie Miller fought main events. The capacity was approximately 5,000. The armory was torn down in the mid-1960s.

Official decisions in post-1926 shows

When the Armory began regular shows in late 1926, the cards were structured so that the main event was held as a no-decision bout, while the preliminary bouts were held to an official decision with a scoring referee and two judges. This appears to have been accomplished by promoter Billy O'Brien classifying the undercard bouts as semi-pro matches, thus evading the no-decision rule that was in effect at that time for other Cincinnati programs. O'Brien had the approval of the Cincinnati boxing commission for this structure. The actual semi-pro nature of these bouts was dubious as there were frequent undercard appearances of boxers who had fought professionally in Greater Cincinnati and other Midwest cities.

Notes

The venue was also known locally as the Freeman Avenue Armory.