As the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame marks its 10th anniversary, founder Ray McCline reflects on a vision years in the making, while international media personality and television host Sisi Cao returns for her fourth consecutive year with the Hall of Fame — this time with Sisi Hollywood serving as an official media partner.
EDITORIAL DRAFT — FOR REVIEW
Atlantic City has always had a special relationship with boxing.
For decades, some of the sport’s biggest names came here to fight. But those nights were never built by fighters alone. There were trainers who spent years in their corners, families who made sacrifices alongside them, promoters who took chances, officials, journalists and generations of fans who made fight night part of the identity of the city.
Much of that history now lives in memories.
Preserving those memories is at the heart of the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame, which marks its 10th anniversary this year. For its founder and president, Ray McCline, the milestone is especially personal because the idea began long before the first induction ceremony.
“The vision started for me back in 2010,” McCline says.
After sharing the idea with close friends and business partners, McCline eventually saw it become a reality with the Hall of Fame’s official launch in 2017 at Atlantic City’s historic Claridge Hotel.
Today, the annual celebration at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City brings together champions, legends, trainers, promoters, officials, media and fans. Some are household names. Others spent their careers working behind the scenes. Together, they are part of a boxing history McCline felt Atlantic City needed to keep.
“For me, this has always been about more than an awards weekend,” he says. “It’s about preserving our history, honoring those who paved the way, and inspiring the next generation.”
That idea is also part of what has kept Sisi Hollywood coming back.
Founded by international media personality and television host Sisi Cao, Sisi Hollywood has developed a relationship with the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame over four consecutive years. This year, that relationship expands, with Sisi Hollywood serving as an official media partner and Cao returning as an official red-carpet host.
For Cao, the connection has never been only about the sport.
Her work through Sisi Hollywood centers on the human stories behind public achievement. The conversations may move between film, culture, business, fashion, technology and sports, but she is often interested in what happened before the recognition arrived — the choices, setbacks and people that shaped someone along the way.
Boxing offers plenty of those stories.
A championship belt tells you who won. It does not tell you about the years it took to get there, the losses that came first, or the people who stayed when a career was going nowhere.
After four years with the Hall of Fame, Cao has also been able to return to many of the same people and the same community. That continuity matters. It allows the coverage to move beyond a single red carpet or awards weekend and become part of a longer conversation.
In that sense, there is a natural connection between the work of the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame and Sisi Hollywood. The Hall of Fame is preserving a history. The media has a role in making sure the people inside that history continue to be heard.
McCline is now thinking about how to make that history even more permanent.
The organization is working with the City of Atlantic City on the Atlantic City Boxing Legends Walk of Fame, which would create a lasting tribute to the champions and pioneers who helped establish Atlantic City as one of boxing’s great destinations.
For McCline, it represents the next stage of something that began as an idea more than a decade ago.
“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, but I truly believe we’re just getting started,” he says. “The first ten years were about building the foundation. The next ten will be about building an even greater legacy and continuing to make Atlantic City a place where boxing history truly comes to life.”
Ten years ago, much of that legacy was still a vision McCline was sharing with friends and business partners. Today, it brings generations of the boxing community back to Atlantic City each year, with plans for a permanent Walk of Fame now taking shape.
The fights themselves belong to history.
What McCline has spent the last decade building is a way to make sure the people behind them are not forgotten.
Ray McCline, Founder and President of the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame.
Ray McCline, whose vision led to the creation of the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame.
Sisi Cao covering the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame for Sisi Hollywood.
Sisi Cao with boxing legend Vinny Paz.
