Let's fast forward five years, and unpack the drama that is to be the 2023 IBHOF ballot...

PBF, Wlad, Ward.

No brainer for me.

 

even the torres fight could have been stopped in the second round in torres' favour and it would have been all fair. people need to stop deluding themselves regarding cotto.

 

As it stands now it's Floyd, Wlad, Ward.
Both Floyd and Wlad are no-brainers, as you can't possibly leave them out.

It looks like Ward is coming back as a Cruiser though, which solves a large part of the issue.

 

It looks like Ward is coming back so he may well be out of this equation. I think they would of gone for Mr. PR Cotto anyway.

 

Unless Floyd goes to prison / does something shameful again to make some voters hesitant upon giving him the initial honor, he's a shoe in 1st ballot hall of fame fighter.

I say Wlad is the 99% lock, Floyd 95% likely ( Outside the ring issues could still hurt him ), and Ward is about 60% likely.

Cotto might have to wait a year or two.

The boxing hall of fame vote has no minimum to get in; they take the three majorities. The Ward vs. Cotto tally could be very interesting. Ward wasn't well liked at times of his career, but I must say he seems like a good guy in interviews. Cotto is universally appreciated among the fans but most never viewed him as a #1-2 pound for pound type as Wlad, Mayweather, and Ward was at one point in their career

 

You might want to take a look at the list. Its an honor just to be on it. Only 3 inductees per year is not too watered down. If anything there's a bit too much non-boxers per year enshrined.

2018 class ( Boxers only )


VITALI KLITSCHKO: Born Vitali Wladimirowitsch Klitschko on July 19, 1971 in Belowodsk, Kyrgyzstan ... nicknamed "Dr. Ironfist" ... won 195 of 210 amateur bouts. ... the 6-foot-7 Klitschko turned pro in 1996 in Germany and scored 27 consecutive knockouts ... reigned twice as EBU heavyweight champion (1998-99, 2000) and in 1999 won WBO title ... Following two defenses he was ahead on all scorecards until a torn rotator cuff led to a ninth-round TKO loss to Chris Byrd in 2000 ... rebounded with knockout wins over Orlin Norris, Ross Puritty and Larry Donald ...met Lennox Lewis for WBC title in 2003, but with Klitschko ahead on all cards the bout was stopped in the sixth round due to cuts above his eyes ... after Lewis retired Klitschko stopped Corrie Sanders in 2004 for the vacant WBC title ... retired in 2005 after one defense but returned to reclaim the title in 2008 with an eighth-round knockout of Samuel Peter .. defended the title nine times before retiring in 2012 following a knockout win over Manuel Charr ... has a Ph.D. in Sports Science ... posted a record of 45-2 (41 KOs) ... active in politics, Klitschko was elected mayor of Kiev, Ukraine, in 2014.
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ERIC MORALES: Born Erik Isaac Morales Elvira on Sept. 1, 1976 in Tijuana, Mexico ... nicknamed "El Terrible" ... followed his father into boxing and turned pro in 1993 ... won the NABF super bantamweight title before stopping Daniel Zaragoza for the WBC 122-pound title in 1997 and registered nine successful title defenses ... became a two-division champion with a 12-round win over Guty Espadas Jr. for the WBC featherweight title in 2001 ... lost the title to Marco Antonio Barrera in 2002 but reclaimed the vacant title from Paulie Ayala when Barrera refused the belt ... added a third divisional title in 2004 with a pair of 12-round decisions over Jesus Chavez for the WBC super featherweight title and Carlos Hernandez for the IBF title ... lost a decision to Barrera in their third bout before defeating Manny Pacquiao in 2005 .. met Pacquiao twice in 2006 and suffered knockouts in each fight ... in 2011 defeated Pablo Cano for the WBC light welterweight title to become the first Mexican boxer to win titles in four weight divisions ... retired in 2012 after back-to-back losses to Danny Garcia, finishing with a pro record of 52-9 (36 KOs).
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RONALD WRIGHT: Born Ronald Lamont Wright on November 26, 1971 in Washington, D.C. ... the 5-foot-10 southpaw was nicknamed "Winky" ... posted an amateur record of 52-4 ... turned pro in 1990 ...utilized a piston-like right jab and tremendous all-around skill set to capture NABF light middleweight title twice (1995-96, 2000) and four world 154-pound title belts ... captured WBO light middleweight title in 1996 with a 12-round win over Bronco McKart and defended the title three times ... after winning vacant IBF belt in 2001 from Robert Frazier he unified the title with a 12-round decision over WBA/WBC champion Shane Mosley in 2004 ... stripped of IBF belt after the bout ... defended the WBA/WBC crowns with a 12th-round win over Mosley in the rematch ... vacated the titles in 2005 to compete as a middleweight and scored wins over Sam Soliman and Felix Trinidad before drawing with WBC/WBO 160-pound champion Jermain Taylor ... scored a 12-round decision win over Ike Quartey in 2006 before retiring in 2012 after decision losses to Bernard Hopkins, Paul Williams and Peter Quillin ... finished with a pro record of 51-6-1 (25 KOs).

OLD-TIMER CATEGORY (last bout no earlier than 1893; no later than 1942)
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SID TERRIS: Born Sept. 27, 1904 in New York ... the 5-foot-7 lightweight was nicknamed "The Ghost of the Ghetto" ... posted a 50-0 amateur record ... in 1922 won the New York State, New York City, National and International amateur lightweight championships within a 10-month period ... was also the 1922 National AAU bantamweight champion and turned pro the same year ... over the next nine years met and beat top fighters of his era and became a standout gate attraction ... among those he defeated were Hall of Famers Sammy Mandell, Billy Petrolle, Rocky Kansas, and Johnny Dundee ... in 1927 scored a first-round knockout of Ruby Goldstein at the Polo Grounds ... never participated in a championship bout ... retired in 1931 with a pro record of 92-13-5 (12 KOs) and died on Dec. 30, 1974 in Miami.
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NON-PARTICIPANT CATEGORY:

JOHNNY ADDIE
LORRAINE CHARGIN
KLAUS-PETER KOHLand the United States.

OBSERVER CATEGORY

STEVE ALBERT
JIM GRAY

 

Ok I voted how the board would vote IMO but my personal view would be
Floyd, Wlad and Ioka

 

Really??? I'd agree that getting you're face torn off by Pacquiao isn't an accomplishment. But on the other hand I would say a draw or a disputed loss is a pretty damn good accomplishment against a truly great fighter. If that was the case then I don't see how DLH can be in the HOF. He beat faded versions of Chavez and Whitaker. Lost to Trinidad, lost to Mosley both in close fights. Which are big parts of his legacy. He did narrowly beat Quartey and stopped. Gatti, Hernandez and Vargas. Also lost to Mayweather, Hopkins and Pacquiao while he was on the slide.

At face value victories over old versions of Chavez and Whitaker along with wins over Quartey, Hernandez, Gatti and Vargas may not be enough.

If losses never count for anything good then you would be assigning no credit to Roberto Duran for almost beating a MW Marvin Hagler? When he had no business sharing a ring with a 160 pound monster.

 

Cotto doesn't have great wins, but neither does Wlad. The HW division sucked big time when he reigned. Who the hell did he beat? Povetkin... At least he has him, I'll give him that.

He was blown out in 2 rounds by ancient Corrie Sanders. Finished by Brewster too. Then simply reigned. Is a reign enough?

Andre Ward though I despise him is criminally underrated all time. He beat Kessler, Abraham and Froch with ease. If anybody else did that they would be on the path to greatness. Yes, he sabotaged his own career due to inactivity, being a little annoying POS, and being incredibly boring in the ring. Then he moved up and beat Barrera with ease and won 2 heavily disputed fights against Sergey Kovalev.

I hate to say it I really do, but that is an incredibly impressive resume. When you take into account who he beat and at what condition those fighters were in when Ward beat them it gets interesting. He has the best collection of victories of any technically active fighter not named Manny Pacquiao. I mean, FFS, he has a better resume of wins than Floyd Mayweather Jr.

 

Call me crazy, but I think Andre Ward is a better fighter than James Toney. For one, Ward when he fights always shows up focused and in form. Toney did not. He's gotten some dubious decisions too. Ward has beaten a better collection of fighters.

And I think his puzzle is a little more difficult to solve.

 

LHW to CW is by far the hardest weight class jump in boxing. To go from 168 to 175 then all the way to 200 and win a title means something. Even a paper title at that weight would have some meaning.