(AUG 3)  The Nevada Boxing Hall of fame held its annual induction ceremony this past weekend in Las Vegas at the iconic Caesar´s Palace.  It was a memorable event as Rich Marotta´s leadership keeps moving the NVBHF into the right direction, honoring the heroes from the past who have made our sport the best in the world. The countless hours of work and dedication of Michelle Corrales and the complete NVBHF team was worth it as the event was phenomenal.

Christy Martin Salters, “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” is the first female fighter to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Christy is one of the pioneers and is responsible for opening the doors to many other women. She inspired many to go into the gym, break paradigms, overcome discrimination and abuse of power, and showed the world that WOMEN can fight! She is a great story, her speech was breathtaking and we all applaud her courage and strength to always be a champion inside and outside the ring.

This year is one that will mark the new era of Women´s boxing and it is time for the boxing industry to give the due respect and opportunities to them. It is time to see a main event female fight, to see a female fight in a pay-per-view show, to see major sponsors supporting some of these heroes.

Christy Martin fought at the MGM, was aired on Showtime, fought on cards where Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez defended their titles. Layla Ali was the main event in many cards and fought on pay-per-view, Lucia Rijker, Laura Serrano, Mia St. John and so many other women have made the sport a reality. Today there are so many great fighters and from all over the world – let’s give them the platform and they will certainly perform and will show the world how great and exiting Women´s boxing is.

They are always in shape, never fail to make weight, train as hard or even harder than any other athlete, and when the bell rings, fans are guaranteed two minutes of explosive action-packed rounds.

Christy Martin will be inducted tonight
Ava Knight received fighter of the year

I applaud DiBella , K2, Promociones del Pueblo and Zanfer (Mexico), Sauerland and SES (Germany), Rivero (Argentina), Chris Malunga (Africa), Linden Hoskins (Australia), KO Promotions (Canada), Yuko Promotions (Japan), Wasileski (Poland), Tampere (Belgium) and relentless Blanca Gutierrez and Claudia Ollis for believing in Women´s boxing and continously promoting them all over the world, and there are many others which I could mention and I apologize for failing to do so – to all of you who support women in boxing, Thank you!

I am anxious to see which promoter and which TV network will take that step to headline a female fight in the USA. It is just a matter of time to open that door which will lead to great exciting times for our sport.

Saturday night, Christy was honored and the night closed with a memorial homage to the greatest of all time, the King of Boxing, Muhammad Ali, and another great WOMAN was praised and acknowleged at the same time, Lonnie Ali, the first lady of boxing, a beautiful person who represents what a life of love and dedication can do to live in harmony and dignity.