By Matthew Hurley
There were some raised eyebrows amongst boxing insiders at this year's boxing Hall of Fame inductees. The main source of concern raised is the yearly induction of fighters in the modern day category. Every year as the list of potential nominees grows thinner, the International Boxing Hall Of Fame (IBHOF) refuses to change its policy of letting in unworthy candidates because fighters live and in the flesh bring publicity to the ceremony.
What has happened, is that good, but perhaps not great fighters like Barry McGuigan, Bobby Chacon and Dwight Muhammad Qawi have their plaques up alongside Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore and Sugar Ray Robinson. It begs the question, should the Hall change its qualifications for a fighter’s induction into what should be regarded as hallowed ground?
Ed Brophy, who runs the IBHOF, is understandably hesitant to conduct an induction ceremony in the month of June sans a living recipient. The fact is, the weekend in Canastota has become a huge affair for boxing and a source of significant income for the town in regards to hotel bookings, restaurants and even Turning Stone Resort and Casino where a live boxing card is annually held.
Brophy and his associates have expanded the museum grounds and souvenir shop in recent years. It’s a wonderful place that demands dollars for maintenance and continued improvement. However, it remains a “Hall of Fame” and should be held to the same high standards as the baseball Hall of Fame. Boxing shouldn’t bow down yet again because not enough people in the mainstream media are paying attention. Boxing fans are passionate about their sport and their Hall of Fame. It belongs to us and should be a sanctuary for only the immortals.
Consider this, as great a ball player as Boston Red Sox's slugger Jim Rice was, he is not in the baseball Hall of Fame and all indications are that he never will be. Ingemar Johansson, remembered only for his three fights with Floyd Patterson, two of which he lost, is in the IBHOF. Disregard any notion of historical significance and look long and hard at Ingo’s career and suddenly, just the idea of his even being considered for enshrinement is absurd. This is fighter who was disqualified in the championship match of the 1952 Olympics for “not trying”.
In 1959 he upset the very vulnerable heavyweight champion Patterson to win the crown. Patterson then knocked him out in their next two fights. And that’s it. Those are his Hall of Fame credentials - pretty meager. Even John Ruiz made more than one successful title defense and for all his shortcomings the “Quietman” stepped into the ring with Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones and James Toney – and at least two of those fighters are first ballot Hall of Famers.
The modern day inductees this past year included, Bobby Chacon, Barry McGuigan and Terry Norris. In 2004 Dwight Muhammad Qawi was inducted. Of the four only Norris gets the nod here. At his peak, despite a shaky chin, Norris was one of the all time great junior middleweights. He rates only below Thomas Hearns and Mike McCallum – pretty impressive company. He made 10 successful title defenses then lost, regained and unified the title and fought everyone in the top 10 including signature wins against a faded Sugar Ray Leonard, Meldrick Taylor, Maurice Blocker, and still dangerous opponents like John Mugabi and Donald Curry.
Bobby Chacon is one of the all time fan favorite fighters. His life story reads like a Hollywood script – from triumphs in the ring to the tragedies of his wife’s suicide and his sad, current physical condition. Chacon was a fighter even his opponents seemed to love, but his career was slip shot. So many losses. He thrived because boxing in the late 70’s and 80’s was embraced by network television. This little dynamo was made for TV. But that didn’t make him a great fighter. Should a fighter be inducted merely for being exciting? If so, no one deserves it more than Bobby. And if you lean that way, then Arturo Gatti deserves a plaque as well. And quite frankly, he doesn’t.
Qawi and McGuigan pose bigger problems. Qawi was an intense pressure fighter who beat a battle worn Matthew Saad Muhammad twice, but lost his two biggest fights against Michael Spinks and Evander Holyfield. The Holyfield fight was the best cruiserweight title bout of all time but he lost to a fighter who only had 11 professional fights under his belt. After that, Qawi muddled about the heavyweight division all the while getting fatter and fatter.
McGuigan was a bright, shining star that fizzled out quickly. The plucky Irishman managed to unify his divided country with his forward aggression and left hooking style and a wonderfully engaging personality. He won the title against Eusebio Pedroza in front of nearly 26 thousand partisan fans, both Catholic and Protestant. Ireland and even England stood still when “The Clones Cyclone” fought. He defended the title twice in shaky outings against Bernard Taylor and Danlio Cabrera. All the while he steered clear of the best fighter in his weight class, the great Azumah Nelson. He then lost the title to late substitute Steve Cruz beneath the sweltering Las Vegas sun in 1986.
The affable McGuigan, now a commentator for British television, was a better story than fighter. He was good and exciting, but he was never great. Still, he is in the IBHOF.
Picking apart the resumes of men who had enough courage to step through the ropes isn’t an easy thing to do, particularly when fighters like Chacon, McGuigan and Qawi remain favorites at this residence. But a standard must be set if the International Boxing Hall Of Fame is to truly mean anything. Only the greatest fighters and individuals who affected the sport on a significant level should be allowed in. Otherwise it diminishes the accomplishments of those who truly belong.
Your footsteps should echo behind you in the IBHOF because there should be so much empty space awaiting the enshrinement of only the true immortals of the ring. And those good fighters who didn’t make it to the wall should stand back in awe of the men who inspired them and nod politely in the realization that, while they may have been good, and fought their hearts out, they just weren’t great. And they don’t belong on such sacred ground.