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who do you think ends up in the Hall of Fame out of these 5?
Joel Casamayor
With a 2-3 record against his best opponents, is Joel Casamayor, right, worthy of the Hall of Fame?
Casamayor's dramatic knockout of Michael Katsidis in March got experts talking positively about "El Cepillo's" chances, but with a record of just 2-3 in five close, controversial fights against his three best opponents -- Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo and Acelino Freitas -- there's still plenty of incentive not to vote for him.
It's clear-cut what he needs to do now: Fight Nate Campbell, defeat him and distinguish himself as not only the lineal lightweight champion but the people's champion. A win over Campbell right now, when the fight means so much, would almost guarantee Casamayor's induction.
Ricky Hatton
After a stellar 2005, Ricky Hatton, right, seemed destined for greatness. Since then, however, Hatton's legacy has taken a hit.
England's wildly popular "Hitman" looked like a lock for Canastota after his '05 campaign that included a beatdown of Kostya Tszyu, but his string of underwhelming performances since has "unlocked" him.
Hatton could use one more Hall of Fame-bound name like Tszyu on his record, and the best candidate close to his weight is Manny Pacquiao.
But Hatton, who appears to be flaming out at 29, could also clinch a spot with just a little more longevity. One more full year as undisputed junior welterweight champ, pushing his reign to four years, would be helpful. An upset loss to Paulie Malignaggi in November, on the other hand, could be devastating.
Gerry Penalosa
The Filipino veteran wouldn't even be within three lawns of the fence if not for his stirring comeback year in '07, when he lost a controversial decision as a massive underdog against Daniel Ponce De Leon and then pulled off an enormous upset over Jhonny Gonzalez to start a second alphabet title reign a full nine years after his first one ended.
Penalosa needs one more year like the one he just had and he might be able to get over the hump -- especially if his fights are televised in the U.S., where most of the Hall of Fame voters reside.
Antonio Tarver
Will a pair of wins over Roy Jones, left, be enough to secure Antonio Tarver's place in the Hall of Fame?
If you ask Tarver, he'll tell you he's already a slam-dunk first-ballot Hall of Famer and that among the all-time pound-for-pound greats, he rates somewhere between Benny Leonard and Harry Greb.
If you ask anyone else, however, two wins over an aging Jones serve only to get Tarver into the discussion.
Unfortunately for Tarver, he's 39 years old and he still needs to achieve more. If he fights and defeats Chad Dawson, that would be enormously meaningful, but it might not be enough. He probably needs two more quality wins.
Maybe if Mason "The Line" Dixon had beaten Rocky Balboa a little more decisively, Tarver wouldn't have such a tall task ahead of him.
Ivan Calderon
If Ivan Calderon, left, can remain undefeated, there should be a spot waiting for him in Canastota.
If Ricardo Lopez is the benchmark for modern mites, Calderon falls short in two regards: He made no effort to clean out his division at strawweight and, so far at least, he hasn't cracked anybody's top five pound-for-pound.
A second win over Hugo Cazares would help his cause, but ultimately, individual wins don't count for as much with 105- and 108-pounders because big-name opposition is so difficult to find.
If "Iron Boy" wants to make the Hall of Fame, fighting a couple more years and retiring undefeated would make him a no-brainer.
Losses for tiny, under-exposed fighters are not easily forgiven, whereas zeroes at the ends of records are not easily ignored.
Eric Raskin is a contributing editor for and former managing editor of The Ring magazine.
Joel Casamayor
With a 2-3 record against his best opponents, is Joel Casamayor, right, worthy of the Hall of Fame?
Casamayor's dramatic knockout of Michael Katsidis in March got experts talking positively about "El Cepillo's" chances, but with a record of just 2-3 in five close, controversial fights against his three best opponents -- Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo and Acelino Freitas -- there's still plenty of incentive not to vote for him.
It's clear-cut what he needs to do now: Fight Nate Campbell, defeat him and distinguish himself as not only the lineal lightweight champion but the people's champion. A win over Campbell right now, when the fight means so much, would almost guarantee Casamayor's induction.
Ricky Hatton
After a stellar 2005, Ricky Hatton, right, seemed destined for greatness. Since then, however, Hatton's legacy has taken a hit.
England's wildly popular "Hitman" looked like a lock for Canastota after his '05 campaign that included a beatdown of Kostya Tszyu, but his string of underwhelming performances since has "unlocked" him.
Hatton could use one more Hall of Fame-bound name like Tszyu on his record, and the best candidate close to his weight is Manny Pacquiao.
But Hatton, who appears to be flaming out at 29, could also clinch a spot with just a little more longevity. One more full year as undisputed junior welterweight champ, pushing his reign to four years, would be helpful. An upset loss to Paulie Malignaggi in November, on the other hand, could be devastating.
Gerry Penalosa
The Filipino veteran wouldn't even be within three lawns of the fence if not for his stirring comeback year in '07, when he lost a controversial decision as a massive underdog against Daniel Ponce De Leon and then pulled off an enormous upset over Jhonny Gonzalez to start a second alphabet title reign a full nine years after his first one ended.
Penalosa needs one more year like the one he just had and he might be able to get over the hump -- especially if his fights are televised in the U.S., where most of the Hall of Fame voters reside.
Antonio Tarver
Will a pair of wins over Roy Jones, left, be enough to secure Antonio Tarver's place in the Hall of Fame?
If you ask Tarver, he'll tell you he's already a slam-dunk first-ballot Hall of Famer and that among the all-time pound-for-pound greats, he rates somewhere between Benny Leonard and Harry Greb.
If you ask anyone else, however, two wins over an aging Jones serve only to get Tarver into the discussion.
Unfortunately for Tarver, he's 39 years old and he still needs to achieve more. If he fights and defeats Chad Dawson, that would be enormously meaningful, but it might not be enough. He probably needs two more quality wins.
Maybe if Mason "The Line" Dixon had beaten Rocky Balboa a little more decisively, Tarver wouldn't have such a tall task ahead of him.
Ivan Calderon
If Ivan Calderon, left, can remain undefeated, there should be a spot waiting for him in Canastota.
If Ricardo Lopez is the benchmark for modern mites, Calderon falls short in two regards: He made no effort to clean out his division at strawweight and, so far at least, he hasn't cracked anybody's top five pound-for-pound.
A second win over Hugo Cazares would help his cause, but ultimately, individual wins don't count for as much with 105- and 108-pounders because big-name opposition is so difficult to find.
If "Iron Boy" wants to make the Hall of Fame, fighting a couple more years and retiring undefeated would make him a no-brainer.
Losses for tiny, under-exposed fighters are not easily forgiven, whereas zeroes at the ends of records are not easily ignored.
Eric Raskin is a contributing editor for and former managing editor of The Ring magazine.
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