Promoter Floyd Mayweather is among the boxing legends included in the reckoning for a place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Thirteen of 42 official candidates for induction into the IBHOF Class of 2021 (Modern participants), are USA Boxing alumni, including virtual locks Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Andre Ward.
Members of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and an international panel of boxing historians will vote (maximum of 5) for the Class of 2021, which will be announced in early December. The annual ceremony will be held in Canastota, New York, the home of the IBHOF museum, in June. The Class of 2020, because of the COVID-19, will be inducted along with the Class of 2021.
Some of the USA Boxing alumni group who are Class of 2021 candidates were amateur champions, others didn’t excel until later during their boxing careers when they turned pro. Below is a closer look at the USA Boxing alumni, listed in alphabetical order, who are Class of 2021 IBHOF candidates:
PAULIE AYALA
Born: Fort Worth, Texas; Amateur: 270-30; Professional: 35-3 (12 KOs), World bantamweight champion, 1999 Fighter of the Year
TIMOTHY “Desert Storm” BRADLEY
Born: Palm Springs, California; Amateur: 125-20, 2-time National PAL and United States Under-19 champion; Professional: 33-2-1 (13 KOs), 5-time, 2-division (lightweight & welterweight) World champion
DIEGO “Chico” CORRALES
Born: Sacramento, California; Amateur: 105-12, US Amateur Championships silver medalist; Professional: 40-5 (33 KOs), 4-time, 2 division (super featherweight & lightweight) World champion
GENARO “Chicanito” HERNANDEZ
Born: East Los Angeles, California; Amateur: 38-3; Professional: 38-2-1 (17 KOs), 2-time World super featherweight champion
ROCKY LOCKRIDGE
Born: Tacoma, Washington; Amateur: 210-8, 1977 National AAU champion; Professional: 44-9 (36 KOs), 2-time World super featherweight champion
FLOYD “Money” MAYWEATHER, JR.
Born: Grand Rapids, Michigan; Amateur: 84-8, 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, 3-time National AAU, 1995 National PAL, 1995 US Amateur, 1994 U.S. Junior Nationals champion; Professional: 50-0 (27 KOs), 11-time, 5 division (lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight and light middleweight) World champion
MICHAEL “Double M” MOORER
Born: Brooklyn, New York; Amateur: 48-16, 1986 US Amateur champion; Professional: 52-4-1 (40 KOs), 4-time, 2-division (light heavyweight & heavyweight) World champion
VINNY PAZ (aka Pazienza)
Born: Cranston, Rhode Island; Amateur: 100-12, 1982 National Sports Festival champion; Professional: 50-12 (30 KOs), 2-time, 2-division (welterweight & super welterweight) World champion
ANTONIO “Magic Man” TARVER
Born: Orlando, Florida; Amateur: 158-12, 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, 1996 World Championships, 1995 Pan-American Games, 1995 U.S. Nationals, 2-time U.S. Amateur and 1994 National Golden Gloves champion; Professional: 31-6-1 (22 KOs), 5-time World light heavyweight champion
MELDRICK “The Kid” TAYLOR
Born: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Amateur: 99-4, 1984 Olympic gold medalist, 1982 National Golden Gloves and National AAU champion; Professional: 38-8-1 (20 KOs), 2-time, 2-division (light welterweight & welterweight) World champion
JAMES “Lights Out” TONEY
Born: Grand Rapids, Illinois; Amateur: 33-2, 1987 Novice Golden Gloves champion; Professional: 77-10-3 (47 KOs), 3-time, 3-division (middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight) World champion
“Ferocious” FERNANDO VARGAS
Born: Oxnard, California; Amateur: 100-5, 1996 Olympian, 1993 Junior Olympics champion; Professional: 26-5 (22 KOs), 2-time super middleweight World champion
ANDRE “S.O.G.” WARD
Born: San Francisco, California; Amateur: 115-5, 2004 Olympic gold medalist, 2-time US Nationals, National Under-19 and 3-time National Silver Gloves champion; Professional: 32-0 (16 KOs), 5-time 2-division (super middleweight & light heavyweight) World champion
“This year’s IBHOF nomination class includes some of the most decorated USA Boxing Alumni careers we’ve ever seen,” said Chris Cugliari, USA Boxing Alumni Association Director. “The greatness that these superstars achieved is a testament to their hard work and ability to sacrifice. It’s inspiring to know that the foundation for this success began early in their amateur careers with USA Boxing.”
