The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will eventually induct legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali, who passed away in June 2016.
ESPN reports that the organization revealed on Monday that the ceremony will take place on April 5th, on the weekend of WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.
Ali, the legendary athlete who passed away at the age of 74, served as a special guest referee for the inaugural main event of WrestleMania I, which featured a tag-match between Hulk Hogan and Mr. T versus “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr Wonderful” Paul Orndorff.
One of the many unforgettable moments the heavyweight champion produced at Madison Square Garden in New York was when Ali, one of the greatest fighters of all time, planted a right hand on Piper’s chin.
The semi-final “War of the Worlds” exhibition bout in Tokyo in 1976 featured Japanese star Antonio Inoki against Ali; the match is widely remembered to this day.
About 33,000 spectators saw the mixed-rules contest, which resulted in a 15-round draw, live at Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets at the time.
Decades after their historic fight, Ali, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, will now finally join his adversary Inoki in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Though he was the heavyweight champion three times, he is most remembered for stopping Sonny Liston in the sixth round of a 1964 fight and George Foreman in the eighth round of a 1974 fight.
The gold medallist from the 1960s won both fights, earning Ring Magazine’s “Fight of the Year” award.
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