Dan Rafael of ESPN.com has reported how the nominees for this year’s ballot for the Hall of Fame have been sent out to those writers who are eligible to vote, and there are three new names on the list: Evander Holyfield, Marco Antonio Barrera and Johnny Tapia. All three greats appear to be slam-dunks to get voted in and enshrined next summer, but in the opinion of many, cruiserweight and heavyweight legend Holyfield is even more deserving of the honour than the two lower weight kings, despite their extraordinary accomplishments.
Boxing History
Boxing history articles
20 years ago today, Pretty Boy Floyd fought for money for the first time
Twenty years ago today at The Texas Station Casino in fabulous Las Vegas, one of the most enormously successful, talked about and controversial boxing careers of recent years began at pro level, as a 19-year-old Floyd Mayweather Junior scored a second-round KO over a guy named Roberto Apodaca. Nicknamed “Pretty Boy,” the 130-pounder, trained by his uncle Roger (as his father was currently in jail, soon to be released) earned the first of many pay checks.
R.I.P Aaron Pryor: “The Hawk” takes his final flight
In sad and shocking news, it has been reported by ESPN that boxing legend Aaron Pryor has passed away at the age of just 61. No news has yet been confirmed regarding what the cause of death was (Aaron was battling heart disease but this has not yet been confirmed as the cause of his untimely death), but fight fans the world over are certain to be moved by this loss. Pryor, a fabulous talent who engaged in a number of thrilling, unforgettable bouts, is one of the finest and most celebrated fighters to have come out of Cincinnati.
Born in October of 1955, Pryor, an amateur standout who met, amongst other future stars, Thomas Hearns (a win for Pryor) and Howard Davis Junior (a loss) turned pro in late 1976. Knocking out a guy named Larry Smith in his hometown, Pryor was paid the handsome sum of $400. Greatness, and a fair amount of controversy, awaited “The Hawk.”
30 years ago today: Honeyghan shocks Curry in a monstrous upset
Thirty years ago today in Atlantic City, New Jersey a British fighter pulled off a truly stunning upset victory over a man many listed as the best in the world pound-for-pound at the time. Lloyd Honeyghan, a Jamaican-born Londoner, met Texan Donald Curry in a fight that contested the world welterweight crown. What followed was a fight and a win that had British fight fans dancing in the streets.
25 Years ago today: the ill-fated Michael Watson-Chris Eubank rematch
A quarter of a century ago today a boxing match took place in London. It was a fight that will always cause any fight fan who witnessed it to have an uneasy, disturbing feeling. Michael Watson and Chris Eubank, two men who seemed to have a very real dislike for one another, met in a much anticipated, publicly demanded rematch. At the conclusion of just over 11-rounds of warfare neither man would ever be the same again.
Three months earlier, down at middleweight, Watson and Eubank had contested the WBO title, with the already controversial and unbeaten Eubank walking away with a debatable 12-round majority decision victory. The boos that met the announced decision ensured the two would have to fight again. When they did, as super, super-middleweights, an entire nation was watching. The incredibly determined Watson, a no-nonsense fighter who had worked his way up the hard way throughout his career, was utterly relentless, winning round after round after round.
Ali-Spinks: Ageing Ali’s revenge
38 years ago today, inside a packed out Superdome in New Orleans, ageing superstar Muhammad Ali did what he should have done in the first place and defeated rank amateur Leon Spinks. Seven months previously, a woefully out of condition Ali was upset by the 1976 Olympic gold medal winner, losing a 15-rounder that was somehow scored as a split decision against “The Greatest.”
The February decision handed in in Las Vegas should have been unanimous in favour of 24-year-old “Neon” Leon, as Ali did nothing but clown and lay on the ropes for the first ten-rounds. How one judge scored the fight for Ali is explained only by the enormous impact Ali had on the sport and of how revered he was at the time. The rematch was a different story, at least as far as the physical and, more importantly, the mental condition of the two heavyweights was concerned.
Evander Holyfield Vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi: the cruiserweight division’s Thrilla (in Atlanta!)
The great Muhammad Ali’s quote of how the third war he had with the also great Joe Frazier was “close to death,” is well known, and it is of course undeniably true that the two legends gave their all in the unforgettable 1975 super-fight. But yet another great, in Evander Holyfield, at the beginning of his storied career, also experienced something akin to the sheer hell Ali (and Frazier) went through – in the summer of 1986, when he was a cruiserweight contender challenging for his first world title.
Remembering “Bad” Bennie Briscoe – would the Philly hard man have been a champ today?
Fighting in a golden era for middleweights, Philadelphia legend Bennie Briscoe ranks as one of the toughest,hardest and best 160-pounders to have never got his hands on a world title. Imagine, though, if the shaven-headed warrior was around, and at his fighting peak, today. Surely, with all the many titles that are around these days, “Bad” Bennie would have claimed at least one of them. Maybe, just maybe, Briscoe would also have given current king Gennady Golovkin the fierce test fans so want to see GGG engage in.