Some list this: Peter Jackson, Tony Canzoneri, Jimmy McLarnin, Barney Ross, Tommy Loughran, George Dixon, Jem Driscoll. Fair to call that a good year, I guess. Peter Jackson was inducted as a pioneer in spite of the fact that James Corbett was already "one up" in the "Old Timers" group. That's been changed since but interesting oversight. More interesting oversights were revealed by the breakdown of who voted for whom, guys throwing their votes away on fighters who were still active (Pep) guys who weren't eligable for one or the other grouping (an astonishing 10 people voted for the ineligable Johnny Kilbane in the Old Timers group). People were trying to vote the recently retired Ray Robinson in or wedge George Dixon into the Modern Group, it all reads as pretty weird. Furthermore, there are some interesting numbers as far as the modern group go. It's clear to see (yet again) that the way these fighters are seen has changed in the interceeding sixty years. Here's the top 10 to receive votes in the modern group. 111 people were voting. Canzoneri, 101 Ross, 100 McLarnin, 93 Loughran, 83 Johnny Dundee, 67 Tony Zale, 56 Jimmy Wilde, 48 Kid Chocolate, 42 Marcel Cerdan, 41 Jack Britton, 39 Clearly there's a heavy American bias, but still, it's a bit of a shock to modern eyes to see Dundee so high, perhaps, or Zale above Wilde. The difference between Canzoneri and Ross is neligable but it's interesting that McLarnin clearly brings up the rear of that trio. Harry Wills got more votes than Max Baer (12-11) which I liked to see. Some enlightened soul voted for Eddie Booker. Jack Dillon recieved only two votes which I'd regard as shocking, this is fewer than LaMotta (3) and Schmeling (5). Billy Conn was another modern underperformer (8) tying with Tommy Gibbons.
Nah, it's fair. Funnily enough I have a Ring mag' (UK) with cover story/article about these particular inductees.
Me too! Good issue. Yeah, I have them in that order too, I guess, but I didn't expect that size of gap betwene the the first two and McLarnin. Some of the other wee foibles are interesting.
He definitely does, but that's a lot of votes, a shitload. I'd say that's the biggest difference between what would happen in a vote now and what would happen in a vote then.
Mick would've hypnotised his ass like a water buffalo and taken him out like a Colombian drug lord if he came by in the eighties.
