This boxing legend is the celebrity speaker at the 2024 KDF 'They're Off Luncheon'
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This year's Kentucky Derby Festival kick-off event promises to pack a punch.
Sports icon and Olympic champion Sugar Ray Leonard has been tapped to serve as the featured speaker at the "They're Off Luncheon," which will be held Friday, April 19 at the Galt House Hotel, 140 N. Fourth St.
“We’re excited to welcome Sugar Ray Leonard back to Louisville to help us kick off this year’s Kentucky Derby Festival,” Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President & CEO, said in a news release. “He is a champion both inside and outside the ring and we know he’ll have some inspiring stories to share.”
Leonard’s celebrated career includes three National Golden Gloves titles, two Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championships, the 1975 Pan-American Games crown, and a Gold Medal in boxing at the 1976 Olympic Games. Known for his charismatic personality and his excellence outside the ring, Leonard founded the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation, which is committed to funding life-changing research for pediatric type 1 and type 2 diabetes and helping children build early healthy habits.
The "They’re Off! Luncheon," first held in 1957, is the time-honored kick-off to each year’s Kentucky Derby Festival and is the second-oldest event on the annual schedule. The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. on April 19 in the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House Hotel.
This year’s event will also feature the presentation of the Volunteer of the Year Award and the Silver Horseshoe Award for service to the community. Tickets are $130 each or $1,040 for a table of eight. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 502- 584-FEST or visit KDF.org.
Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Sugar Ray Leonard to speak at Kentucky Derby Festival They're Off event
