Al Bernstein stood in front of a thousand fans as he accepted his commemorative ring, and then took the podium at the 23rd International Boxing Hall of Fame's induction ceremony on Sunday.
Behind Bernstein sat a "who's who" of boxing legends, including Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Aaron Pryor. Bernstein, the noted boxing analyst for Showtime, was one of the six living members of this year's induction class, which featured the likes of Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns and Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson.
As he began his speech, Bernstein glanced at the greats behind him and was humbled.
"This Hall of Fame is essentially for the great boxers you see on this stage," Bernstein said. "It is built for them. It is their house. This Hall of Fame is very generous in the way it welcomes those of us who filled another function for boxing. I take this as a supreme honor that I'm allowed to be a part of this place that is so special."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.