Virgil Hill stops in Bismarck

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - If you’re going to make a list of best athletes of all-time from North Dakota, it better include Virgil Hill, or your list is not complete.

Virgil stopped back in Bismarck this week for a meet-and-greet at the ballpark and to throw out the first-pitch at a Larks game.

The Boxing Hall of Famer says he enjoyed driving from California and he loves talking with people from his home state.

“My life has changed from being a fighter to a coach and as a promoter so it’s different questions that I get thrown at me from when I was fighting,” said Hill

Virgil spent 31 years as a professional boxer following the 1984 Olympics. He was a World Champion for about half of those years.

He says the best memories of his career happened at the Bismarck Civic Center.

“You and others helped create the hoopla of what it was like in there and it was a special moment,” said Hill. “It’s hard to explain unless you were there and you got a taste of the energy and what it was like. It’s something that I will never got get, ever!”

Hill is now training some people who want to get into the ring. He says he is very careful to not push anyone beyond their capabilities.

“It can be dangerous to your health and so guys that I train just might be amateur guys or people that just want to get in shape of what not so I’m careful in the sense that I’m not trying to blow everybody up and say hay you could be a world champion or you could be a national champion it’s not like that,” said Hill.

Virgil had 58 bouts as a pro and 29 of them were for world titles in both the light-heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions.

Hill says besides some knee pain, he feels good and he’s having fun with the grandkids.