Ali tops Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame class

VIDEO: Watch Muhammad Ali gets KO’d then gets Angry. Must See!

When Rich Marotta founded the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013, his intent was to honor greats who were from the Silver State or often competed here.

Marotta, a longtime boxing announcer and Reno resident, had a committee draft the induction criteria. But in doing so, the rules excluded the one person who would give the entity instant credibility.

Amazingly, there was no spot for Muhammad Ali.

The Hall quickly rectified the situation. It adjusted the criteria to allow the induction of a fighter such as Ali, the iconic former heavyweight champion (56-5, 37 knockouts). While Ali fought in Nevada seven times, the initial criteria required a non-resident to have fought here at least 12 times or had eight title fights in the state.

Tonight at Caesars Palace, Ali will be honored as a member of the class of 2015, a star-studded group that includes Sugar Ray Robinson, Jack Johnson, Joe Gans, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Lennox Lewis, Felix Trinidad, Marco Antonio Barrera, Roger Mayweather, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Johnny Tapia and Gene Fullmer. A few tickets remained Friday and were available through the Hall’s website NVBHOF.com.

“People asked me, ‘How can you have a Boxing Hall of Fame and not have Muhammad Ali in it?’ ” Marotta said. “And you know what? They were right.

“He has meant so much to the sport. He’s such an iconic figure, both in and out of the ring, it was important that we have a place for him in the Hall of Fame. Now that he’s in, it definitely boosts our credibility.”

Ali, 73, who has had Parkinson’s disease for three decades, is unable to attend. Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight champion and a 2013 inductee, will present Ali as an inductee and Ali’s daughter, Rasheda Ali Walsh, will accept on his behalf.

“He really wanted to make it,” Ali Walsh said. “But with Parkinson’s, you never know.

“There’s a lot of history here for my dad and he’s deeply humbled and very honored to be receiving this award in front of his peers. We’re so thankful that Rich expanded the Hall to include him.”

Longtime Las Vegas resident Gene Kilroy, Ali’s former business manager and close friend, said he’s glad the Hall did the right thing.

“I’m sure he’s glad and happy to receive this award,” Kilroy said. “He always loved Las Vegas and Las Vegas always loved him. They were a perfect match for each other. He loved to entertain, and Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world.”

Ali has another tie to the city, one far more personal that goes beyond boxing. His grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, is a junior running back at Bishop Gorman High School and when the Gaels won the state football title last year in Reno, there was Ali, bundled up, watching his grandson.

“He was so excited to see him play,” Ali Walsh said. “He had come out to Bishop Gorman when Biaggio was a freshman but he hadn’t seen him play on the varsity. He was so proud of his grandson.

“He has a build like my dad and he has his mental drive and determination. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Ali had a 5-2 record in Nevada, most memorably defeating Floyd Patterson in 1965 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, losing to Leon Spinks in 1978 at the Las Vegas Hilton and losing to Larry Holmes in 1980 at Caesars Palace.

But his induction is as much for his impact outside of boxing.

“My dad is someone who leads by example and how he has impacted every single person he’s met,” Rasheda Ali Walsh said. “It wasn’t just making people happy from having watched him fight, he always helped take care of people who needed help. He’s still helping and giving back.”

Ali has lent his name and support to a cure for Parkinson’s. He supported federal legislation in 2000 to make boxing safer and fairer for fighters in what became the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.

The Muhammad Ali Center, a museum in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., tells his life story. It details Ali’s 1964 decision to convert to Islam (leading him to change his name from Cassius Clay) and his 1967 refusal to be inducted into the U.S. Army for religious reasons and his opposition to the Vietnam War. Ali was stripped of his title, banned from the sport and convicted of draft evasion, costing him three years in the prime of his career while he worked through the courts to appeal the decision.

Ali resumed his fight career in 1970, knocking out Jerry Quarry in the third round. But as his daughter said, Ali always was willing to stand up for what he believed was right, even if it wasn’t the popular thing to do.

“Back then, a lot of people were afraid to speak out because of the consequences,” she said. “He wasn’t afraid. He was always a man of conviction and I think with the passing of time, people have a better understanding of what he did and why he did it.”

Ali Walsh said she appreciates everyone’s concern for her father and his health. She said he’s doing as well as can be expected.

“He enjoys his life. He’s happy,” she said. “His attitude has made us all stronger.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-newwOs8-i4