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The rules of International Boxing Hall of Fame They state that exactly three boxers must participate in each class, but some years it is difficult to find a single boxer to vote for, much less the maximum of five, in the modern men’s boxer category (the last professional fight not before 1989).
This year featured one of the easiest choices voters will face among the 42 options for the Class of 2025, which will be announced Thursday morning. It is the legendary’s first year of eligibility Manny Pacquiaoand it would be outrageous if he is not selected unanimously. Boxers must have been at least three years since their last fight to be eligible.
Pacquiao, whose last fight was a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021, was transformative for the sport as one of its most popular boxers in history. “Pacman” was a whirlwind that put the Philippines on the boxing map and produced countless sell-out crowds in Las Vegas, plus several PPVs that surpassed the 1 million buy mark. Pacquiao won titles in a record eight weight classes, an incredible feat considering he won his first title at 108 pounds and his last at 154 pounds.
It was part of the biggest money-making fight in history, his 2015 showdown with Floyd Mayweatherwhich was produced after a delay of five years. And Pacquiao was beloved for his indelible fighting spirit, his never-say-die attitude that was on display during his epic tetralogy with Juan Manuel Marquez and a series of fist fights in a trilogy with Erik “Terrible” Morales.
Pacquiao was an easy choice for me. He was one of boxing’s two biggest stars over a period of almost 20 years, owns several iconic victories over Hall of Famers and enjoyed a long run as one of the top two boxers. pound for pound in the world, along with Mayweather.
The other elections were not so easy. I voted only for another boxer, Antonio Tarveravoiding the opportunity to select a third party (although a third party will be chosen, I prefer to vote exclusively for boxers who I believe deserve the honor). Tarver, the veteran champion of light heavyweighthas been in the ticket since 2019.
Tarver is not a sure bet, but he compares favorably with many boxers currently in the Hall, although I don’t give it much importance when voting. I think each boxer should be considered on their own merits, those who long earned recognition as a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter and had signature victories over other future Hall of Famers.
Tarver apparently ticks a lot of boxes. He ruthlessly defeated the great Roy Jones Jr. in their 2004 rematch for the lineal light heavyweight championship, a crushing second-round TKO that was hard to believe. Jones seemed invincible at the time and had never been knocked down, but there he was, struggling to his feet after a perfect left counter from Tarver.
Tarver’s victory over Jones came after he lost a controversial decision in the previous fight, the first time Jones looked human. Tarver lost the championship to Glen Johnson by split decision, but avenged the loss in the rematch. The Tampa, Florida native defeated Jones again in the third fight, this time via unanimous decision before being defeated by Bernard Hopkins in 12 rounds.
“I beat some of the best fighters in the world,” Tarver told ESPN on Tuesday. “And I did it consistently. I’m a four-time world champion, but I was never the favorite to win a title. They try to overlook my greatness because I made my fights look easy. Even though I was fighting hard, I was relaxed, calm, calm
“I think if you take your personal feelings from my accomplishments, it’s hard to say that I’m not a genuine Hall of Famer. I’ve earned it since the Olympics even the professionals. And I had to do it the hard way because no one thought it was worth it. “They told me I had started too late.”
Tarver won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games and then turned professional at the ripe old age of 27. He defeated a lot of 175-pound fighters to get the fight with Jones: Eric Harding (who avenged the defeat in revenge), Reggie Johnson y Montell Griffinamong others.
Tarver starred alongside Sylvester Stallone the sixth installment of “Rocky”, “Rocky Balboa“, like the heavyweight champion Mason “The Line” Dixon in 2006.
“Do people think Sylvester Stallone is stupid? He chose me out of everyone,” Tarver said. “He watched me and followed me throughout my career. Look what that movie did for us. It revitalized his career… If (boxing promoters) had put that machinery behind me for a week, I would have been a big star.” .
Instead, after a pair of losses in 2008 and 2009 to light heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound mainstay Chad Dawson, Tarver moved up to cruiserweight. That’s where the problems began for Tarver, at age 43, after a victory over Lateef Kayode. He tested positive for the banned substance drostanolone and was suspended, the decision victory changed to a no contest.
Then, after a 2015 draw with former cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham at heavyweight, Tarver tested positive for synthetic testosterone. He never fought again.
Many voters over the years have offered Tarver’s positive PED tests as the reason they did not vote for him. However, there are several established boxers who have been linked to PEDs or have even tested positive.
“I’m the scapegoat,” Tarver said.
There are three boxers who appeared on the ballot this year for the first time: Shawn Porter, Mikey García y Lucian Bute. I considered all three, but refused to vote for any of them.
They were all good fighters who had impressive careers full of accomplishments, but each one was missing something in my opinion. Porter never achieved a signature victory, although he came close in a thrilling title fight with Errol Spence Jr. in 2019. Porter, who made several defenses of the welterweight title, retired in 2021 following a TKO loss to Terence Crawfordwith whom Porter was very competitive.
Garcia won titles in four divisions, but he too lacked a signature victory, although he was a pound-for-pound fixture, unlike Porter. In his most notable fight, he was defeated by Spence in 2019 and retired in 2021 after a surprising loss to Sandor Martin.
Bute, a Romanian who fought out of Quebec, was a big draw in Canada, but lacked anything remotely close to a signature victory. Bute ended his career in 2017 with three straight losses, but is now appearing on the ballot for the first time.