It’s that time of year again. Once a year, a small group of crusty boxing heads get their say over who gets inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Before the year is out, an announcement will be made as to which fighters are to be honored by the IBHOF, and next June the festivities begin.
The hallowed ground hosting the Hall of Fame celebration is located in Canastota, a quaint town in Upstate New York that readies itself for the fistic loonies that envelope the joint every June. Many former and current fighters join the party whether they are or ever will be up induction or not, but saluting the chosen fighters is what the soiree is all about.
Through the years many ballots have featured controversial figures, though only a handful have been controversial enough to be noteworthy for it. Ever since voting criteria and protocol changes, however, the ballots have become noticeably more competitive.
On this year’s ballot, the only fighter who appeared to receive universal acclaim was Erik “El Terrible” Morales, and deservedly so. From there, arguments got ugly and the choosing got a whole lot more difficult. Not much separated many fighters on the list, and inevitably there will be fighters who should have gotten in but didn’t.
Once a few bigger names are given check marks, it’s like a free-for-all of greatness and accomplishments — especially among the smaller, non-American fighters on the list. Who truly deserves to be chosen?
This week on Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio, Compubox operator Aris Pina joins Patrick Connor, boxing historian and site founder, in breaking down this year’s ballot and how their votes looked when they mailed their ballots in.
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