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Tyson & Leonard Head Up
Nevada
Boxing Hall Of Fame's Inaugural Class
Rich Marotta, founder and CEO of the newly-established
Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame (NVBHOF), announced the NVBHOF's
historic inaugural class of inductees at a news conference
today, which was held at the Richard Steele Boxing Club in
North Las Vegas. Induction will take place in 2013. Details
on the ceremony will be released in the coming months.
Voting for the inaugural class of the NVBHOF was conducted
by its officers and its Board of Directors. The results are
as follows:
NEVADA RESIDENT BOXER:
· MIKE TYSON (50-6, 44 KOs). The former undisputed
heavyweight champion was also the youngest man to wear the
heavyweight crown during his first of three title reigns. He
was renowned for his punching power and became boxing's
biggest draw. Tyson is a member of the International Boxing
Hall of Fame.
· MIKE McCALLUM (49-5-1, 36 KOs). Held the WBA super
welterweight, WBA middleweight and WBC light heavyweight
titles. McCallum is a member of the International Boxing
Hall of Fame.
· DIEGO CORRALES (40-5, 33 KOs). Held the IBF junior
lightweight title and unified the WBO and WBC lightweight
belts with a knockout victory over Jose Luis Castillo in
arguably the greatest fight of his era.
NON-NEVADA RESIDENT BOXER
· JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ (107-6-2, 88 KOs). México's greatest
fighter, this three-division world champion was unbeaten in
his first 90 bouts. Made his Nevada debut in 1985, knocking
out Roger Mayweather in the second round to retain his WBC
lightweight title. Nevada record was 21-4.(12 KOs). Chavez
is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
· LARRY HOLMES (69-6, 44 KOs). Known as 'The Easton
Assassin,' Holmes had one of the great jabs in boxing
history. He won the title from Ken Norton in an epic bout in
1978 and held it until 1985. A member of the International
Boxing Hall of Fame, Holmes was 18-3 in fights in Nevada.
· OSCAR DE LA HOYA (39-6, 30 KOs). The 'Golden Boy' won 10
world titles in six weight classes. He was the biggest
pay-per-view star of his time and his bout with Floyd
Mayweather Jr. in 2007 set the record with 2.5 million buys.
He's now the president of Golden Boy Promotions.
· SUGAR RAY LEONARD (36-3-1, 25 KOs). A 1976 Olympic gold
medalist, Leonard was boxing's top star of the 1980s. His
wins over Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto
Duran remain among the most significant in the sport's
history. Leonard was 11-0-1 in 12 Nevada fights.
TRAINERS
· EDDIE FUTCH. The legendary Futch, a member of the
International Boxing Hall of Fame, is regarded by many as
the best trainer in boxing history. He trained greats such
as Joe Frazier, Riddick Bowe, Michael Spinks and Alexis
Arguello. He also mentored several great trainers and taught
Freddie Roach the business.
· FREDDIE ROACH. The International Boxing Hall of Fame
member is most known for his work with Manny Pacquiao, but
he trained a series of great fighters, including the late
Johnny Tapia and Mike Tyson. Roach is a five-time trainer of
the year.
OFFICIALS
· MILLS LANE. Lane became arguably the top referee of his
time with a fair but no-nonsense style that commanded the
respect of the fighters he worked with. A former pro boxer
with a 10-1 record, Lane worked many big fights, including
Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield II, Pernell Whitaker-Oscar De
La Hoya and Riddick Bowe-Evander Holyfield II. Lane was
elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame and will be
inducted in June.
· JOE CORTEZ. Nicknamed "Fair but Firm" for not only his
familiar catchphrase but also his style, Cortez was one of
boxing's great referees during his 32-year career. Cortez
worked many of the big fights of his era, including Floyd
Mayweather-Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley-Fernando Vargas, Erik
Morales-Manny Pacquiao and Lennox Lewis-Hasim Rahman. Cortez
is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
MEDIA
· AL BERNSTEIN. A familiar voice for more than 30 years as
an analyst and play-by-play man on boxing broadcast, the
affable Bernstein is best known for his work at ESPN and
Showtime. He also served as the boxing analyst for NBC's
coverage of the Olympics in both 1992 and 1996. He is a
member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
· ROYCE FEOUR. Feour covered boxing in Nevada for more than
40 years, the last 37 at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He
was ringside for all of the big fights as Nevada earned its
label as the boxing capital of the world. His first major
fight was Sonny Liston-Floyd Patterson in 1963, and he
covered all of the big stars of the five decades.
PROMOTERS
· BOB ARUM. A one-time U.S. attorney in the Kennedy
Administration, Arum became perhaps the most significant
promoter in history. He promoted more than 20 fights
involved Muhammad Ali and was also the promoter of stars
such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran,
Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao,
among many others. Arum's Top Rank Inc. is based in Las
Vegas and put on many of Nevada's biggest events. Arum is a
member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
· DON KING. King was a numbers runner in Cleveland whose
quick wit and indomitable work ethic led him to become one
of boxing's greatest promoters. He led the careers of dozens
of stars, including Mike Tyson, Felix Trinidad and Larry
Holmes. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of
Fame.
EXECUTIVES
· MARC RATNER. Ratner was the executive director of the
Nevada Athletic Commission from 1992 through 2006, earning a
reputation for honesty and fairness, as well as the top
regulator in the sport. Prior to becoming executive
director, Ratner was the chief inspector for the commission
and worked closely with his predecessor, Chuck Minker.
Ratner is now the vice president of regulatory affairs for
the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
· JAMES NAVE. A local veterinarian, Nave was a member of the
Nevada Athletic Commission for 11 years, from 1988 through
1999, and served two terms as its chairman. He was
considered one of the sport's top regulators and was a
fierce advocate for fighter health and safety. Nevada made
major strides in enforcing safety regulations during his
tenure.
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS
· SIG ROGICH. Rogich served on the Nevada Athletic
Commission for 12 years, from 1974 through 1986, including
several stints as chairman. For many years after his term on
the commission ended, Rogich worked closely with major
promoters to help bring major boxing shows to Nevada. The
president of the Rogich Communications Group, Rogich was a
confidante and advisor to Presidents Ronald Reagan, George
H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
· KIRK KERKORIAN. A one-time amateur boxer of some note who
was known as "Rifle Right Kerkorian," Kerkorian helped bring
big-time boxing to Nevada. He helped usher Las Vegas into
the mega-resort age and his MGM Grand played host to some of
the biggest fights in boxing history.
A non-profit corporation operated exclusively for charitable
purposes, the NVBHOF will be dedicated to honoring boxers
and those who have contributed significantly to the sport in
Nevada. The other equally important part of the Hall's
mission will be to help those from the sport of boxing in
need of financial assistance, as well as to help other
boxing-related organizations which do the same. It will also
support youth and amateur boxing programs, including the
club boxing programs at the University of Nevada, Reno and
UNLV.
"States such as California, New Jersey, Connecticut,
Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and most recently New York
have their own Boxing Halls of Fame. I was astounded to
learn that Nevada, with its rich boxing history, passionate
fan base and the reputation as the Boxing Capital of the
World, did not have its own Hall of Fame -- a place to honor
those who helped build its rich history in the sport,"
Marotta said. "So we set out last summer to establish the
Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame as a non-profit, charitable
organization to give back to the sport and its fans. In
addition to an annual gala Induction Ceremony and Dinner,
the NVBHOF will conduct other fund-raising events throughout
the year to stay active within the state."
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