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by David P. Greisman - What goes on with the International Boxing Hall of Fame will always be less important than the fights themselves, less important than the fighters who participate in them, and somehow even less important than the politics and corruption that can have repercussions on the amount of money, opportunities and glory they receive.
But what goes on with the IBHOF is still important. All boxers should aim to hang up the gloves with their pride, health and bank accounts intact. The pinnacle of achievement, however, is being enshrined within Canastota.
That small town in Upstate New York was the birthplace of former welterweight and middleweight champion Carmen Basilio. It is east of Syracuse, just off Interstate 90, and is the true Hall of Fame for the Sweet Science.
This being boxing, there are of course multiple other halls, including the World Boxing Hall of Fame based in California and the recently established Boxing Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, which isn’t to be confused with the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame or any of the boxing halls of fame for other states.
Full disclosure: As a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, I am among the voters in the “modern” category of boxers.
And we voting members just received our ballots — and notification of changes in the way things are done.
“Modern” used to include any boxers whose last fight came no earlier than 1943. As of this year’s voting — the inductees will be announced by the end of 2014 and will be officially enshrined in June 2015 — that cutoff is now 1989. [Click Here To Read More]
But what goes on with the IBHOF is still important. All boxers should aim to hang up the gloves with their pride, health and bank accounts intact. The pinnacle of achievement, however, is being enshrined within Canastota.
That small town in Upstate New York was the birthplace of former welterweight and middleweight champion Carmen Basilio. It is east of Syracuse, just off Interstate 90, and is the true Hall of Fame for the Sweet Science.
This being boxing, there are of course multiple other halls, including the World Boxing Hall of Fame based in California and the recently established Boxing Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, which isn’t to be confused with the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame or any of the boxing halls of fame for other states.
Full disclosure: As a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, I am among the voters in the “modern” category of boxers.
And we voting members just received our ballots — and notification of changes in the way things are done.
“Modern” used to include any boxers whose last fight came no earlier than 1943. As of this year’s voting — the inductees will be announced by the end of 2014 and will be officially enshrined in June 2015 — that cutoff is now 1989. [Click Here To Read More]
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