This is a tough week for all of the boxing world with the loss of our hero and the Greatest of All Time Muhammad Ali. Ali was a personal hero of mine and he will be forever remembered and honored. It's a sad time because Ali paved the way in the ring and outside the ring for fighters everywhere.
Ali's funeral is Friday in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. He will be missed and I hear that a lot of fighters are attending from around the world.
Many of those same fighters will then be going to the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in Canastota, New York. I'm packing my bag and leaving tomorrow for this exciting event.
I've attended since 2005 and the IBHOF events are always high end, quality and exciting. I'll get to catch up with friends, reporters I haven't seen in person for a few years, fighters I've fought and world champions I know, along with fans from around the world. Everyone comes together in one place for one long boxing weekend.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame
The International Boxing Hall of Fame started in 1982 when the people of Canastota decided to honor Carmen Basilio, the former welterweight and middleweight champion of the late 1950s and his nephew Billy Backus who held the world welterweight title in 1970. This proud town raised money to showcase and celebrate the achievements of their two local heroes.
What happened next is that the success and enthusiasm grew into the first international boxing hall of fame and museum which was completed in 1989. Back then, two dozen former boxing champions witnessed the ribbon cutting ceremony of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 1990, the first class of boxing legends, including Muhammad Ali, were on hand to receive their long overdue enshrinement into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame added a wing to the Museum and an event pavilion adjacent to the Hall. The Hall of Fame holds an annual induction ceremony every June with a four-day celebration of boxing and its legends.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame is the one place in the WORLD where you'll see more boxers, world champions, boxing celebrities, journalists and supporters in one place. It's a boxing fan's paradise.
What Will I Be Doing at the Hall of Fame?
The highlight of my weekend will be running the 5K on Saturday morning to support Team Boomer.
What is Team Boomer?
Team Boomer is a program that I support to help introduce Cystic Fibrosis, a chronic illness, to the boxing world.
What is Cystic Fibrosis?
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited, chronic illness affecting about 30,000 people in the U.S. and 70,000 worldwide. There’s no cure for CF, which causes continuous mucus buildup in the body that has to be removed to prevent infection and illness. The median survival age is 40 years.
As a Team Boomer member, I'll help spread the word about how exercise helps people with cystic fibrosis. The ultimate goal is to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis and to help people with Cystic Fibrosis live longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.
The tie-in to boxing is that boxing needs extensive cardiovascular stamina driven by the running that
we do as boxers. Everyone knows boxers run to get the strength and power to go 12, 3-minute rounds. Well that endurance comes from our lungs, our cardiovascular conditioning from regular road work, running, jogging, treadmills, stair climbing, elliptical and swimming. All cardio strengthens the lungs.
Cystic Fibrosis is a challenging disease because the children born with it have to fight every day, all day, just to breathe. Their lungs fill with mucus that has to be removed regularly just so that the child can breathe and prevent infections that cause more illness.
So I'm running Saturday for Team Boomer and I'm honored to help and I hope that you'll help too. Are you a runner? Do you run 5Ks, 10Ks, marathons? Visit the
Team Boomer website and learn more.
Who is Team Boomer?
A little background on how
Team Boomer got started. NFL star
Boomer Esiason and his wife, Cheryl Esiason, founded the Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF) in 1993 after their son Gunnar was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. The BEF has raised over $120 million and with Team Boomer encourages people with CF to make exercise an integral part of care to stay healthy.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame Schedule
Here's what's happening in Canastota starting tomorrow:
Thursday, June 9
1 p.m.
Opening Bell Rings - Museum Grounds
1:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Ringside Lectures - Museum Grounds
Friday, June 10
10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Ringside Lectures - Museum Grounds
3 p.m.
Celebrity Fist Casting - Museum Grounds
7:30 p.m.
Flashback Friday: 1990s Night - Rusty Rail Party House
Saturday, June 11
7 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Golf Tournament of Champions - Casolwood Golf Course
8:30 a.m.
5K Race, Fun Run - Canastota High School
9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Ringside Lectures - Museum Grounds
10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Boxing Autograph Card Show - Canastota High School
5:30-6:30 p.m.
VIP "Gala" Cocktail Reception - Greystone Castle
8 p.m.
Banquet of Champions - Syracuse Oncenter Complex
Sunday, June 12
10 a.m.
U.S Postal Service Tribute - Museum Grounds
1 p.m.
Parade of Champions - Downtown District
2:30 p.m.
Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - Museum Grounds
Stay tuned for updates from the International Boxing Hall of Fame....
