The Hall of Fame honour still had not resonated with former world champion Daniel Geale on Saturday night before he realised that award had been two years coming.

One of Australia's greatest ever middleweights had "pretty much" only found out at the dinner that the invitation was for a 2021 induction that had never happened.

"I didn't actually know that," Geale told the National Indigenous Times.

"I only found that out then, that recently.

"The guy (from Boxing Australia) that runs this event called me up a few months back to invite me and mentioned they wanted to induct me into the Hall of Fame.

"I really didn't know the year, but I said I was more than happy to come to the event."

Government restrictions on gathering publicly enmasse, largely through all of 2020 and 2021, prevented the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame from announcing, recognising and even presenting Geale anything until 2023.

But the Palawa man remained utterly oblivious of a wait to be honoured in front of his peers, let alone the criteria behind qualifying to be eligible since his last fight.

"I'm not even sure – I couldn't tell you, I really couldn't," he said.

"I know that because of the issues that we've had with functions being cancelled over Covid, I found out I was actually the 2021 inductee.

"I wasn't even this year's (inductee)."

Geale's last professional bout was in 2016, falling in line with the International Boxing Hall of Fame standard of five years before entering the sport's esteemed company.

That fight, a loss to fellow Indigenous fighter Renold Quinlan, left a sorry footnote to what once appeared to be all but a flawless career that turned from sweet to sour in the remaining three of his 12 years between the ropes.

The Tasmanian held a near unstoppable 29-1 win/loss record after winning a rematch against Anthony Mundine, the Man that had earlier stopped Geale's unblemished run at 21 fights.

But four defeats in the final six bouts blotted his reputation that included holding the unified WBA (Super) and IBF middleweight titles from 2011 until 2013, in addition to earlier claiming the IBO middleweight title from 2007 until 2009.

But, almost oddly, Geale never got around to calling time and retiring officially, and in a technical sense, the 42-year-old remains active after never finding the right fight to box on.

Not that the everyday body shape of the father-of-three would exactly permit the 2002 Commonwealth Games welterweight gold medallist to slide back into the ranks easily.

"I'm still the same (status)," he laughed.

"Everyone just assumes I've retired, but I haven't."

The Sydney resident, via a Launceston upbringing, is living a life sitting back, looking over and admiring his number of accomplishments out of the ring.

Geale is now listed the twelfth Indigenous fighter to enter the Australian Hall of Fame in a pursuit that has always seemed to hold a strong rapport with Aboriginal boxers.

"Obviously, the hard work and the dedication that I have put into the sport for most of my life, it's great to be recognised for that in this way," he said,

The First Nations names that preceded Geale in the hall read like men who once had a thing to prove to society but never to boxing.

There was alphabetically Lawrence Austin, George Bracken, Wally Carr, Elley Bennett, Jack Hassen, Jerry Jerome, Tony Mundine, Robbie Peden, Dave Sands, Bobby Sinn and Hector Thompson without ranking the past inductees, but on reflection perhaps none were finer than Geale.

It would really not come as a shock to those in the know that years ago Geale was one of 28 boxers already set in the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame.

A humble Geale who behaved like he stepped back in time to an era of gentleman that never trashed talked opponents took genuine cultural pride to stand with Indigenous legends of the past that have dominated the fight game for more than a century.

"Over the years, we've created so much success with fighters of our background," he said.

"I guess being a part of that group makes it a little bit more special because things for us aren't always easier – they aren't easy for anybody.

"But it is great to know we have been lucky enough to have so many champions."

While eight of the Indigenous hall of famers are known to have passed away that has included Carr in 2019, aged 64, and Thompson in 2020, at 70, Geale was seen to have caught up with Peden to share a few yarns while colourful fighters Kevin Kelly and Graeme Brooke that carry the 'Bones' and 'Porky' monikers also crossed his path.

Geale admitted to feeling overwhelmed by the acclaim of onlookers – not Indigenous ones only – handing out during endless conversations and compliments on the night.

"They were just incredible to meet up with, especially some of the older generation," he said.

"I was a bit more surprised that they all knew me so well, and told me they always watched my fights.

"I wish I could reel off all the names, but my head's still spinning from remembering everyone I met.

"There was so many people that I haven't seen in so many years, but meeting some of the great old fighters from a while back was enough of a thrill for me."