De Niro And Buble Honored At Muhammad Ali’s Fight Night

Actor Robert De Niro and crooner Michael Buble were honored for their philanthropic work at Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night on Saturday, April 12.

Movie, music and sport stars were attracted by this event to Phoenix, Arizona, for a fundraiser to support the legendary boxer’s efforts to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

De Niro was given the night’s major prize, the 2014 Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night Award, which was handed to him by his Analyze This co-star Billy Crystal. Country artist Reba McEntire, who served as the host for the evening, handed Buble his Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award.

Ali, however, wasn’t able to attend the event due to stomach problems, but others, including Sex and the City’s John Corbett and politician Robert Kennedy, Jr., were there to support his cause.

Guests were entertained by country music siblings The Band Perry. Buble, McEntire and Kenny Rogers also performed.

There was also an auction, where VIP treatment package at the premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 sold for $15,000 (£8,967)

Two lucky bidders each paid $500,000 (£298,918) to have dinner with McEntire in her home.

The main draw of the night was a dinner with De Niro, Crystal and ex-manager of New York Yankees, Joe Torre, which was sold for $1 million (£597,836).

During the event, more than $8 million (£4.8 million) was raised. This made the total sum raised in the 20 years of Celebrity Fight Night to $95 million (£56.8 million).

Funds will go to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and Medical Center’s Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix and some other charities.