July 30 Induction Ceremony at Caesars

The boxing superstars will collide on July 30 as the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame (NVBHOF) hosts their 2016 awards ceremony and dinner honoring some of the best in the biz.

This year there will be 11 esteemed inductees taking their place in the spotlight–and in the history books. The nonprofit organization held a press conference and luncheon Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas to announce the new honorees.

I attended this news conference held at Carmine’s in the Forum Shops at Caesars to hear the big announcement from NVBHOF President/CEO/Founder Rich Marotta and COO Michelle Corrales-Lewis. The prestigious awards will take place Saturday, July 30 at the famed Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip. The evening will honor six fighters including the first female inductee Christy Martin, Riddick Bowe, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Ricardo “Finito” Lopez, Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, and Freddie Little; trainers Thell Torrence, Kenny Adams and Johnny Tocco; and journalists Tim Dahlberg and James “Smitty” Smith. Ticket will go on sale in April.

The room was filled to capacity as four of the newest inductees (Thell Torrence, Kenny Adams, Tim Dahlberg and James “Smitty” Smith) were in attendance. President Marotta introduced the Hall of Famers, Board of Directors, and current and former champs and fighters in the room including new WBO champ Jessie Vargas and trainer Dewey Cooper, Zab Judah, Joel Casamayor, Layla McCarter, Livingstone Bramble, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Phil Lo Greco, Ana Julaton, Bronco Billy Wright, Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil, Richard Steele, Col. Bob Sheridan, Laura Serrano, Dee Kelley, Jaime Estrada, Jon Hait, Eva Futch, Al Bernstein and more.

The media heard from each inductee in attendance as well as phone interviews from several out-of-state inductees. The NVBHOF also presented Muhammad Ali’s daughter Rasheda Ali with a special award recognizing the date of March 8 as the day of 1971’s “Fight of the Century”: Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier.

Everyone I chatted with said July 30 is going to be an exciting night for the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. I’ve been attending their events since its first awards banquet in 2013 and the non-profit gets bigger each and every year. And the fact that the NVBHOF bash is held in the Mecca of Boxing draws a huge crowd and an impressive array of champions, boxing stars and celebrities that will no doubt make the scene once again at the legendary Caesars.

Tickets will go on sale in April at a kickoff fundraiser with Vince Neil so be sure to save the date of July 30 if you want to witness history and mingle with the champs.

Viva Las Vegas and congrats to all!

For more info: www.nvbhof.com

Photos by Michele Chong