Arena Sonora, Indoor sports arena in Hermosillo, Mexico
Arena Sonora is an indoor arena in Hermosillo, Sonora, seating 3,500 spectators. Inaugurated on 31 December 1969 as the Gimnasio del Estado, it was reinaugurated under its current name on 31 January 2019 after a MXN$65.5 million remodeling that added video boards, air conditioning, new dressing rooms and bathrooms, a food area, an esplanade and a parking lot.
Inaugurated on 31 December 1969 as the Gimnasio del Estado, the hall has hosted volleyball, boxing, karate, taekwondo, lucha libre and cheerleading, plus the Olimpiada Nacional. On 29 December 1979 local boxer Manuel "Topo Gigio" Vázquez beat reigning WBC bantamweight champion Lupe Pintor there in a non-title fight. It was reinaugurated as Arena Sonora on 31 January 2019, when Governor Claudia Pavlovich announced MXN$65.5 million spent on remodeling.
The venue is home to the Rayos de Hermosillo basketball team and regularly hosts boxing matches, volleyball tournaments, and wrestling events for the local community. It serves as a gathering place where residents experience live sports and entertainment.
The arena stands at the corner of the city centre, with a remodelled esplanade and a new parking lot added in the 2019 works. The Rayos played their first game on the renovated court on 5 April 2019. The venue also hosted the 2022 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup from 19 to 29 August.
The arena's electrical system was installed by Rodolfo "Opi" Valencia Valle, an amateur baseball player and manager of the Cerro de la Campana club, who had earlier wired the old Estadio Fernando M. Ortiz, then called Casa del Pueblo.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,781 contributors worldwide.