John Cena has accepted Sports Illustrated’s Muhammad Ali legacy Award on Tuesday at the Sportsperson of the Year ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hilton in Los Angeles, California.

Cena said he accepted the award on behalf of his fellow superstars at WWE, and that it was a wonderful night for the company to receive such a honor.

”I’ve just been given the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award here at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards. It’s truly moving to see some of those moments back and get to relive some of those moments.

“To be mentioned in the same sentence as Ali, let alone a respectable comparison, comparable legacy is simply incredible. I just wanted to say that I accepted this award tonight on behalf of all the WWE Superstars, because I believe if put in my shoes, they would all make the exact same choice.”

“Tonight is a wonderful night for WWE, because here I am, a sports entertainer, being awarded a tremendous honor among athletes. It’s not something that probably would have happened a few years ago, but it’s amazing to see culture change, and people have open minds about what we do, and accept us for just being damn good at what we do.”

John Cena also said that he is sending the award to Connecticut to be displayed at the WWE Headquarters.