LAS VEGAS — When JimmyStewart heard his name in the same breath as "kickboxing legend," the Butler native's heart skipped a beat.

"It made it all real," Stewart said.

Stewart had known the moment would come weeks before Saturday, when the kickboxer, famous for his tenacity in the ring and his amiability out of it, was inducted into the U.S. Martial Arts Hall of Fame at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.

But nothing could prepare him for it.

"It was such a great, great honor and such a great weekend," Stewart said. "When I found out I was going to be inducted, I thought it was a big deal, but I didn't realize how big it was until I got there.

"They knew more about me than I did."

And there is a lot to know.

Stewart is 19-0 with 11 knockouts as a professional kickboxer and holds three world titles. He also teaches his craft to youth in Butler and across the country.

He became hooked on the sport while watching another kickboxing legend, Bill "Superfoot" Wallace, fight on ESPN.

Stewart slowly honed his skills, starting out as an amateur, then turning pro.

Some of his best bouts were staged in Butler, where he beat rival Bernard "Swiftkick" Robinson twice.

In his last fight, Stewart recovered from a second-round knockdown to win a 10-round unanimous decision over Mark Norge of New Castle in February 2005.

Hearing his exploits announced to the large crowd at the Golden Nugget helped put it all in perspective for Stewart.

"It just made me so proud," Stewart said.

The whole weekend was surreal for Stewart.

He arrived inLas Vegas at 5 a.m. and the temperature already was a blistering 105 degrees.

"You get there, you look at your watch and it is 5 a.m. and you are not even tired," Stewart said. "I was just touched by the whole thing."

A conversation with a fellow inductee from Oklahoma also hammered home how special the night was.

"The gentleman was a full-time fireman and was going to school part time as well as teaching martial arts," Stewart said. "I told him, 'I admire what you do. You risk your life and you help people.'

"That's kind of what I do. Every time I walk into the ring, I risk my life and I help people by teaching."

Stewart is by no means done with his fighting career, he said.

Stewart has a bout scheduled for Nov. 3 in Morgantown, W.Va.

"Oh, heck yeah, I'm ready to go," said Stewart, 45, who is still in peak physical condition. "I'm training and I'm totally ready to climb back into the ring. After that one, I'll probably be asking, 'When is the next one? Can I fight again next week?'"