By: Albert Alvarez
Celebrity Fight Night first premiered in the Valley in 1994 when local celebrities donned oversized boxing gloves for a comedic fight in the ring before 400 attendees. Today, more than 1,200 guests attend the event to accompany Muhammad Ali and other A-List celebrities.
Celebrity Fight Night no longer features celebrity boxing, but by attending the event and bidding on live and silent auction items, each guest does their part to join Ali in the fight against Parkinson’s disease.
For nearly the past two decades, Celebrity Fight Night has raised more than $70 million for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and other charities. Celebrities and professional athletes from around the U.S. join Muhammad Ali each year for this celebrity-filled night complete with live auction items and musical performances by many of today’s brightest stars.
Some of the celebrity guests this year were: The stunning Jennifer Lopez, former NBA star Ralph Sampson, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mario Lopez and his beautiful wife Courtney, Evander Holyfield, Frankie Muniz, Rita Wilson, Lute Olson, the cute as ever Haley Reinhart, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Verne Troyer, Jerry Colangelo, local valley radio personalities Johnjay and Rich, and many more.
I was able to speak to a few of the guests and here are a few of the quotes that I was able to get:
I asked Jerry Colangelo how it felt to be viewed as the godfather of valley sports, on his greatest sports memory, and a few words about Celebrity Fight Night.
Thank you so very much for that great compliment about me being viewed by you as the godfather of valley sports, it means a lot to me and I always felt welcomed by the great people of Phoenix, so it felt right to bring some teams out here. My greatest sports memory, and I have had quite a few, would have to be when our very own Diamondbacks won the World Series against the Yankees. It’s truly a great honor to be here for Celebrity Fight Night, Ali was the very best, and it’s for a great cause so we are all here to help and support the champ.
I had a few laughs with celebrity guest for Extra, Mario Lopez, mainly about how he once mentioned on his show “Saved by the Baby,’’ and that he does not think that girls should be left handed. I mentioned to Mario and his beautiful wife Courtney, who is expecting another baby by the way, that my wife, who happens to be a southpaw, has a bone to pick with him about that left handed comment. Mario and Courtney both had a good laugh about it. Mario apologized and then mentioned to me that he and Oscar De La Hoya are producing a show called ‘’Golden Boys,’’ which will be a reality series that will follow a group of Latin boxers. Mario also mentioned that it gives him great pleasure to be here at Celebrity Fight Night to support the Greatest of All Time.
Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, along with his unique wooden shoes, also shared with my brother and I a very deep look into what it was really like to film the 1992 Gangster movie, American Me. The Folsom prison filmed scenes in particular were painted quite vividly by Mr. Tagawa as he advised us on the many life threatening hurdles that were faced while filming the classic crime drama film. Mr. Tagawa went on to add that being here in the valley for Celebrity Fight Night was very special to him.
104.7 Kiss Fm’s very own, JohnJay and Rich mentioned to us that each year this event seems to get better and better, and felt truly honored to be present at this great event.
Last year’s event was amazing, and this year’s red carpet experience was simply incredible. The events get bigger and better each year and because of that, it’s very heartwarming to see so many celebrities there supporting the champ by doing what they can to help out.
About Celebrity Fight Night
Celebrity Fight Night Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1994 by Jimmy Walker to support the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, as well as numerous other charities. For more information, visit www.celebrityfightnight.org.
