Saturday night Ball State alumnus Al Hughes will be presented with a trophy in dedication to the 58,479 brothers and sisters who never made it home alive from Vietnam.
Hughes is part of the Rolling Thunder motorcycle organization whose main purpose is to make the government aware of the prisoners of war and those missing in action. Hughes will be involved in the annual Run to the Wall organized by Rolling Thunder.
The trophy will make a trip Memorial day weekend to Washington D.C. whether Hughes makes it the whole way or not.
"That trophy is going to make it to the wall (Vietnam Veterans Memorial) if I die en route," Hughes said. "The other guys have been cued to take that out of my bag and if it's busted, go get some super glue, put it back together and get this baby to the wall. That's what the fight is mainly about."
Hughes, a Vietnam veteran, will be boxing in Crabtree Entertainment's King of the Ring at the age of 53. He started his boxing career 1967 with the Police Athletic League and is the oldest continuously active boxer today.
"He's 53-years-old and I think he's in better shape than most 23-year-olds," said his son, Albert Hughes III.
After beginning boxing in '67, he went to the service in 1968. During his time he was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne division and the 101st Screaming Eagles. Both arms are tattooed with the emblems of the two groups. Hughes was discharged in 1971 and went straight back to the PAL club.
"The only thing that has kept me alive since I've come home from Vietnam," Hughes said, "is the thoughts in my mind of being able to have one more fight."
Hughes marked his amateur career by winning the middleweight Golden Glove Championship in 1974. Shortly after, April 17, 1975, he turned professional.
In his professional debut, he won a four round unanimous decision against Jimmy Claar at the Indianapolis Convention Center.
The Indiana Boxing Commission, in 1990, decided to lower the age limit for boxers to 35 years of age. At the time, Hughes was 41.
Hughes said he fought the decision for a while and had matches with boxers just to prove he could still hang in there. The decision held up and Hughes professionally boxed the next three years outside of Indiana.
"I just lost the heart," Hughes said. "I couldn't fight in front of my home town people anymore."
During that time, Hughes hit a low point in his life until two friends of his gave him another chance through amateur kick boxing.
For the next five years Hughes kick boxed and won the River City Rumble in the 190 lb. division. In 1998, he came back to boxing through King of the Ring.
"When you get in the boxing ring, it's just one person against the other," Hughes said. "You're a one-man army. There's nobody there to help you. I mean your handlers are in the corner but you're out there all alone."
Hughes has been known as a bruiser throughout his career.
"If you're going to watch an Al Hughes fight, you're not going to see a technical wizardry like Shane Mosley," said long-time friend and trainer Jeff Hinds. "You're going to see blood and guts."
Hughes said he is coming straight after his opponent when the bell rings. "When the bell goes ding, there ain't no searching for me and there ain't no wondering where I'm at," Hughes said. "I'm going to bang until I'm either exhausted or you're going down, or you're going to beat me down; one or the other. That's the way I fight."
Hughes has been training since October for his upcoming fight Saturday.
Donnie Garrtt, director of the PAL club said, "Can he fight? Sure he can. Can he fight as well as when he was 23 or 24? Probably not.
"But I can guarantee you one thing. He's trained, he's got himself in shape and he will be there to fight."
Richard Crabtree, the promoter of King of the Ring said he really works hard when he trains because he does not want to embarrass himself out there. "He's got a lot of pride and a lot of drive."
Hughes is excited about his upcoming fight because his children will be in his corner.
Each day his son Albert and daughter Angela help him train in the gym. They will be in his corner Saturday night as well.
Both think he will win.
"He can't guarantee if he'll win," Angela Hughes said. "He can't guarantee if he'll lose. All he can guarantee is that he does his best. And that's what everybody's looking forward to."
At 7 p.m. on Saturday, Leader Bingo Hall, 4833 N. Wheeling Avenue, will be transformed into the scene for a boxing extravaganza.
General admission tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Ring side seats are $25 each.
The doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the first match starts at 7 p.m.
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