Three former boxing legends headline the nine inductees in the Class of 2017 for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Evander Holyfield, Marco Antonio Barrera and the late Johnny Tapia are the three former boxers that earned the honor, all in their first year of eligibility in the modern era.
Former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield retired with a 44-10-2 record (29 KOs). Holyfield was part of some of the greatest heavyweight title fights of the 1990s, including memorable victories over the likes of Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Larry Holmes and others.
Former three-division champion Marco Antonio Barrera retired with a 67-7 record (44 KOs). Barrera held a super bantamweight world title on three separate occasions in the 1990s, defending his belt successfully on 12 occasions before moving up to capture featherweight and super featherweight titles later in his career.
Johnny Tapia is one of the all-time greats in the super flyweight division, compiling a 59-5-2 record (30 KOs) where he successfully defended his title 13 times until moving to bantamweight in 1998 after winning the title in 1994. Tapia twice won a world bantamweight title and once claimed a world title at featherweight.
In the non-participant category, trainer Johnny Lewis, judge Jerry Roth and the late ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr. will be inducted. Longtime Showtime broadcasters Steve Farhoood and Barry Thompkins will be inducted in the observer category, and the late Eddie Booker has been selected in the old-timer category.
Article courtesy of CBS Sports
Former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield retired with a 44-10-2 record (29 KOs). Holyfield was part of some of the greatest heavyweight title fights of the 1990s, including memorable victories over the likes of Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Larry Holmes and others.
Former three-division champion Marco Antonio Barrera retired with a 67-7 record (44 KOs). Barrera held a super bantamweight world title on three separate occasions in the 1990s, defending his belt successfully on 12 occasions before moving up to capture featherweight and super featherweight titles later in his career.
Johnny Tapia is one of the all-time greats in the super flyweight division, compiling a 59-5-2 record (30 KOs) where he successfully defended his title 13 times until moving to bantamweight in 1998 after winning the title in 1994. Tapia twice won a world bantamweight title and once claimed a world title at featherweight.
In the non-participant category, trainer Johnny Lewis, judge Jerry Roth and the late ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr. will be inducted. Longtime Showtime broadcasters Steve Farhoood and Barry Thompkins will be inducted in the observer category, and the late Eddie Booker has been selected in the old-timer category.
Article courtesy of CBS Sports
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