MISSOULA — One of Montana's greatest athletes will be a hall of famer come August.
Marvin Camel, a product of the Flathead Indian Reservation who was a decorated boxer, will be inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. The hall announced its class in March which included Camel among its inductees.
The 72-year-old Camel, who grew up in Ronan, was boxing's first Native American champion as he became the inaugural WBC cruiserweight champion in 1980 when he defeated Mate Parlov. By doing so, he became the first cruiserweight champion of the world, and in 1983 he also won the inaugural IBF belt in the same weight class with a victory over Roddy MacDonald.
One of the greatest all-around athletes to come from Montana, Camel became the Treasure State's first combat sports champion.
However, disaster struck Camel in the 1980s when his belts and his fight regalia were stolen from him more than 30 years ago. But in 2020, the belts were found in a car about to be crushed in a scrapyard in Missoula and were returned to Marvin's brother, Ken Camel, who then refurbished the belts with Native American embroidery.
MTN Sports extensively covered both the discovery of Camel's belts and the long history behind them, as well as the reunion and return of Camel to the state of Montana in August of 2021 when Ken held a ceremony in Polson for his brother as he was brought together with his belts once again. Photos from the event can also be found here.
The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony will take place Aug. 8-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Camel, who resides in Florida, is inducted with its Class of 2023 which features 15 total people including a number of boxing legends.
The rest of the class includes Jorge Arce, Zab Judah, Genaro Hernandez, Timothy Bradley, Emile Griffith, Ann Wolfe, Michael Moorer, Rafael Marquez, Donald Curry, Lamon Brewster, Kostya Tszyu, Mitch Halpern, "Stitch" Duran and Jesse Reid.
