Celebrity Fight Night brought high-profile names to the Valley on Saturday in support of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center (MAPC) and Movement Disorder Clinic at Barrow Neurological Institute.
Held at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort, stars and guests rallied around raising money for life-changing causes with Muhammad Ali as the guest of honor.
Red carpet names for the 2013 event included Reba McEntire, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Rita Wilson, Mario Lopez and Evander Holyfield, among others, with Jennifer Lopez as this year’s featured performer.
Before the night began, stars posed on the red carpet, mingled and signed some of the event’s auction items. Guests were able to bid on a dinner with Reba McEntire at her home in Beverly Hills, VIP concert tickets for Paul McCartney, dinner in Italy with Andrea Bocelli and other once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Celebrity Fight Night has raised over $80 million in its last 18 years. In addition to MAPC, other benefiting organizations for the 2013 event included: Andrea Bocelli Foundation, Barrow Neurological Foundation, David Foster Foundation, First Things First Foundation, Jenesse Center, Muhammad Ali Center, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix Symphony, Phoenix Theatre, Salvation Army, Solid Rock Foundation, St. Vincent de Paul, Starkey Hearing Foundation, Texoma Health Foundation.
**POST-EVENT UPDATE**
The 2013 Celebrity Fight Night raised a total of $7.2 million, bringing the 19-year total to $87 million. The night’s highlights included performances by Steve Martin, Billy Ray Cyrus, Haley Reinhart, Rita Wilson, Tate Stevens, Andrea Bocelli and Jennifer Lopez, with Reba McEntire as emcee. The auctioned dinner with Reba McEntire and special guests Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and David Foster went to two bidders paying a total of $800,000.
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