Boxing matches may help end street beefs, says Baltimore mayor

BALTIMORE — The new mayor of Baltimore says boxing matches could help reduce the city’s rampant street violence.

The Baltimore Sun reports Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young suggested the unconventional approach Sunday, saying the bouts could be held at the Royal Farms Arena. The mayor says that’s just one of the approaches he’s considering in the hopes of getting “people to put these guns down.”

For those who aren’t open to slugging it out, he says mediation is another option.

State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby and city Councilman Robert Stokes Sr. joined the mayor Sunday to kick off a city-sponsored anti-gun violence rally. The “Bmore United” rally came just a day after one teen was killed and four others were wounded in city shootings.

National Gun Violence Awareness Day is June 7.

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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com