A bit light on talent in the ring, strong on talent outside of it. That's how I see it. Report below: [url]2017 IBHOF Induction quick report[/url] By Boxing Bob Newman Photos: Bob Newman The extreme heat and humidity, 91° at last count, couldn’t keep boxing’s diehards from the annual rite that is the International Boxing Hall of Fame induction Sunday in Canastota, NY today. With living legends Evander Holyfield and Marco Antonio Barrera leading the way, fans got their fill of fistianic greatness and more during the 2017 edition. This content is protected Posthumous inductees Johnny Tapia and Jimmy Lennon, Sr. and Eddie Booker, as well as Jerry Roth, Barry Tompkins, Steve Farhood and Johnny Lewis rounded out the field of this year’s enshrinees. Eddie Booker: Never stopped in his career, Booker waged three wars with the legendary Archie Moore, drawing twice and scoring a TKO8 in the third bout. Booker also got the better of Lloyd Marshall and Holman Williams before a detached retina forced him to hang up the gloves for good in 1944 at age 27. Booker finished his ring career with a record of 66-5-8, 32 KOs. Jimmy Lennon, Sr: Lennon began his announcing career at age 30 in 1943 at Ocean Park Arena. Six years later, Lennon snagged the gig at the hallowed Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles where he remained until 1984. Noted for his elegant style, precise pronunciation of fighters’ names and flare, Lennon, Sr. also appeared in fight films “The Raging Bull” and “Rocky III.” Johnny Tapia: Three division champion Tapia, lived up to his ring moniker, “Mi Vida Loca,” or “My Crazy Life,” both in and out of the ring. Managed by wife Teresa, Tapia often said he felt most at home in the ring and fighting in front of his hometown fans in Albuquerque, NM. His life cut short by heart problems at age 45, Tapia finished his ring career at 59-5-2, 30 KOs. Jerry Roth: Beginning his judging career in Nevada in 1980, Roth went on to judge 225 world title bouts, including Holmes-Cooney, Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor I, Roy Jones, Jr.-James Toney, Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales III and the Evander Holyfield-Riddick Bowe trilogy. Roth judged his last contest in 2015- Vasyl Lomachenko-Gamalier Rodriguez. Johnny Lewis: Lewis began his career as a trainer at the tender age of 17 in his hometown of Sydney, Australia while training to be a fighter himself. Lewis would not only go on to train some of Australia’s most notable fighters in Jeff Fenech, Jeff Harding, and Kostya Tszyu, but also Joe Bugner, Billy Dib, Gary St. Claire, Virgil Hill and Paul Briggs over a five decade career. Barry Tompkins: Beginning his broadcasting career in 1965, Tompkins got his first big break with HBO in 1980. While there, Tompkins called such bouts as Hagler-Duran, Pryor-Arguello I, Holmes-Cooney and Hagler-Leonard. Tompkins later moved on to ESPN’s Top Rank Boxing series for seven years, Fox Sports Sunday Night Fights for fourteen years and Showtime’s Shobox: The New Generation since 2012. Steve Farhood: After graduating in 1978 with a journalism degree from NYU, Farhood launched KO Magazine in 1980. Farhood became editor-in-chief of The Ring Magazine in 1989 and stayed on until 1997. Moving on to television, Farhood worked with ESPN, Sports Channel, USA Network’s Tuesday Night Fights and from 2001-present- Shobox: The New Generation. Marco Antonio Barrera: A three weight division champ, Barrera waged one of the most savage modern trilogies against compatriot and certain future ahll-of-famer Erik Morales starting in 2000, going 2-1. Barrera also handed fellow hall-of-famer Naseem Hamed his one and only loss and defeated fellow 2017 inductee Johnny Tapia. Barrera compiled a record of 67-7, 44 KOs and now works as a boxing analyst for Mexico’s TV Azteca. Evander Holyfield: The Real Deal seemingly needs no introduction. A member of the 1984 Olympic team, where he won a light heavyweight bronze after being disqualified in the semi finals, Holyfield embarked on an improbable career- unifying the cruiserweight division and capturing the undisputed heavyweight title with a third round KO of Tyson conqueror James “Buster” Douglas in 1990. Holyfield would go on to win version of the heavyweight title three more times in a 27 year career, compiling a 44-10-2, 29 KOs mark.
Great to see Farhood get in there. He and Jeff Ryan anchored KO Mag in the early '80s when I became a boxing nerd. His quote regarding Matthew Saad Muhammad in a 1980 issue of Big Book of Boxing should have been put on Saad's tombstone: "Eddie Mustafa Muhammad has a better jab. Marvin Johnson wields more power. James Scott does more pushups. But Saad's heart is the size of a turnbuckle, and it anchors his title reign." The quality of the writing was higher back then, in my opinion. There were no internet boxing sites, just a few publications. You had to know how to write to get in the door.
Farhood and Al Bernstein are probably my favorite modern observers. Farhood was sharp, balanced, and with his own sense of humor. And he could write. Even when he disagreed with others, Farhood did it with class and respect.