Hall call: Jones, Toney, Cotto headline new International Boxing HOF class of 2022

Halmich, Holm, Caplan, Hull, Borges, Yalen, Morgan also elected

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Fierce rivals Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney, who met for Toney’s super middleweight world title and pound-for-pound supremacy in a 1994 mega fight, will go into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as headliners of the class of 2022, which was announced on Tuesday.

Joining them in the marquee modern men’s category is Miguel Cotto, the first Puerto Rican man to win world titles in four weight classes.

Seven others were also elected in voting done by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a panel of international historians. They will be enshrined at the Hall of Fame museum in Canastota, New York, on June 12.

Members of the classes of 2020 and 2021 will also have their induction weekend because last year’s and this year’s induction weekend’s were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Also elected were Regina Halmich and Holly Holm in the modern women’s category; legendary publicist Bill Caplan and the late ring announcer Chuck Hull in the non-participant category; award-winning journalist Ron Borges and historian/producer Bob Yalen in the observer category; and Tod Morgan in the old-timer category.

Modern Men

In his first year of eligibility, Jones, who routed Toney in their showdown, is the star of the class.

From his win over Toney until to 2004, Jones (66-9, 47 KOs) was the untouchable pound-for-pound king. Jones, who boxed from 1989 to 2018, was an Olympic silver medalist in 1988, although corruption was later proven as to why he did not win gold in the most controversial Olympic result in history.

“This is an absolutely marvelous feeling. I’m so honored that I get this opportunity and I can’t wait to go to Canastota to see it come to fruition.” — Roy Jones

As a professional, Jones, with a remarkable combination of speed, power and reflexes, won world titles in four divisions (middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight) and when he easily outpointed John Ruiz to win a heavyweight belt in 2003, he became the first fighter since Hall of Famer Bob Fitzsimmons 106 years earlier to win a middleweight title and a heavyweight title.

Among Jones’ notable wins besides Ruiz: Bernard Hopkins, Toney, Virgil Hill, Mike McCallum, Antonio Tarver, Montell Griffin, Reggie Johnson and Felix Trinidad. Jones was also voted as the 1990s fighter of the decade by the BWAA.

“This is an absolutely marvelous feeling,” Jones said. “I’m so honored that I get this opportunity and I can’t wait to go to Canastota to see it come to fruition.”

“Lights Out” Toney (77-10-3, 47 KOs), in his second year on the ballot, won world titles at middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight. His cruiserweight title victory over Vassiliy Jirov in 2003 is regarded as one of the greatest fights in division history.

Toney, known for having one of the most durable chins in history, also beat men such as Evander Holyfield, Mike McCallum (going 2-0-1), Charles Williams, Iran Barkley, Reggie Johnson and Michael Nunn.

Toney, who boxed from 1988 to 2017, would have claimed a heavyweight title also, but his 2005 decision over Ruiz was wiped away testing positive for a banned steroid after the fight. He tested positive twice for steroids in his career.

“Yeah baby! I made it. This is so great,” said Toney, who was the BWAA fighter of the year in 2003. “I’ve been waiting for this call and I’m so happy. I can’t believe it. I’m almost tearing up. It’s a blessing and I’m looking forward to coming to Canastota as an inductee.”

Cotto (41-6, 33 KOs), who boxed from 2001 to 2017 and was in his second year on the ballot, was a 2000 Puerto Rican Olympian and the first man from the island to win titles in four divisions: junior welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight. He was known for his exciting fights and became a big draw, especially in New York, where he received tremendous support from the Puerto Rican community.

He fought a who’s who his time, including beating Sergio Martinez, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Joshua Clottey, Ricardo Mayorga, Carlos Quintana, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricardo Torres and Randall Bailey. Three of his losses came in mega fights with Canelo Alvarez, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

“After many years in boxing, I’m so proud of what we have done in the sport,” Cotto said. “Above all I was the head of my family and what made me proud as a father was to provide for my family and thanks to boxing I did it in the best way possible. It is amazing, but you have to be humble. I look forward to being in Canastota next June.”

Modern women

Germany’s Halmich (54-1-1, 16 KOs), who fought from 1994 to 2007 and won titles in three divisions (junior flyweight, flyweight and junior bantamweight) and was a huge reason women’s boxing became popular in Europe.

“What an honor. I’m very, very happy,” Halmich said. “My biggest wish was to one day be in the International Boxing Hall of Fame and this is really the biggest honor for me.”

Holm (33-2-3, 9 KOs) won 14 world titles in three divisions (junior welterweight, welterweight and junior middleweight) and went 14-1-1 against other titleholders in her 2002 to 2013. She was twice named as female fighter of the year by The Ring magazine (2005, 2006). After boxing, she turned to MMA and became a UFC champion by stopping Rhonda Rousey for the promotions’ bantamweight title in 2015.

“I feel very humbled and honored to be acknowledged amongst the greatest,” Holm said. “I’m kind of speechless actually. I’m really excited.”

Non-participants

Caplan has worked in boxing since 1962, when he handled PR for promotions put on by his boyhood idol, former heavyweight champion Joe Louis. Through the years Caplan has served as a publicist for George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya and the WBC and worked for leading promoters such as Top Rank, Don King and Golden Boy. Caplan has twice received major BWAA awards, the Marvin Kohn Good Guy Award in 2010 and the Barney Nagler Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing in 2016.

Hull, who died in 2000 at age 75, began ring announcing in 1953, did his first world title bout in 1960 and went on to work numerous big fights with his pitch perfect-voice and cadence. In 1970s and 1980s he was synonymous with big-time fights, announcing such mega bouts as Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns I, Marvelous Marvin Hagler-Hearns, Larry Holmes-Gerry Cooney, Holmes-Muhammad Ali and many others. He was also the boxing ring announcer for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He retired in 1995, having more than 130 world championship bouts to his credit.

Observers

Borges has written about boxing for about 50 years, though he is known primarily for his long runs as the boxing writer for the Boston Globe and later the Boston Herald.

He earned Massachusetts “Sportswriter of the Year” honors four times, the 1993 BWAA Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism and has won numerous writing awards in the BWAA’s annual competition.

“This is really exciting. I can’t believe it. Usually I’m not at a loss for words but I am now,” Borges said. “It really means everything to me. Boxing has been my favorite sport since I was six watching the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports and I was honored to have spent nearly 50 years writing about the great fighters, trainers and promoters of the sport and to now be on the Hall of Fame Wall is such a great honor that I can’t even tell you how much it means to me.”

Yalen has worked in boxing since the early 1980s in various roles and been one of the sport’s leading historians and record keepers for nearly five decades. He was boxing coordinator at ABC Sports before moving to ESPN as its boxing programmer from 1996 to 2004); producer of NBC Sports boxing coverage of the 1996 and 2000 Olympics; chairman of the WBC ratings committee and presently is the president and CEO of MTK Global, one of the most significant promoters and managers in the sport. He also won the 1993 BWAA Sam Taub Award for excellence in broadcast journalism

“I was extremely honored just to be on the ballot, but to receive this news is unbelievable,” Yalen said. “It is joyful, humbling, and exciting all at once. I am so honored and thrilled to be able to take my place among those whom I have admired and looked up to for so long. It might be a cliché, but dreams really do come true.” 

Old-timers

Morgan was elected in the old-timer category for fighters whose last bout was no earlier than 1893 and no later than 1942. He won the junior lightweight title in 1925 and was the first world champion from Washington State. He reigned for four years and made 12 title defenses. He retired in 1942 with a record of 143-44-33 (30 KOs).

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