Has the Boxing Hall of Fame become cheapened now??

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Clever, you go from talking about an avatar that has nothing to do with this thread to posting a photo that has nothing to do with this thread. The wit on you is out of this world.

 

The IBHOF has been cheapened from the very beginning by mandating that a certain number of fighters must get in each year. Maybe that worked when they were trying to catch up on deserving fighters, but at this point, there are only fringy guys and new fighters left, which means that a lot of guys who really shouldn't deserve to get in will get in.

I'd love to see something set up like The Hall of Merit for baseball, but that would be a huge project and probably would require a whole separate website to be set up.

The Hall of Merit

Personally, I have no problem with Hamed or Tszyu in the Hall of Fame, especially Tszyu. The other three would be on the outside looking in if they retired today.

 

i think this is a very good post and, without reading anything below it, i'm sure some people won't agree with you.

vargas and gatti, although great entertainers, were never great fighters. i guess the others are up for conjecture the way i see it.

good post.


i also think that because boxing (as all modern day sports are) is a business, then liberties will be taken with the word 'great' - which i think is what you mean here.

 

I think you hold the HOF standard a bit too high. HOF does not mean ATG.

To make an NBA (American Basketball) HOF comparison. In the Basketball HOF you will find legendary Larry Bird, one of the top 50 players of all time who lead his team to multiple championships, housed in the same shrine as Dominique Wilkins who while a stellar athlete, was not a 'winner' and was not noteworthy for anything except a couple dunk contests during the all-star game (Famous for losing to Michael Jordan in these contests).

 

that don't mean much to an ausralian

but if anyone wants to put up an argument for gatti or vargas (especially gatti) i want to hear it.

 

Yeah but it's not as if the other Halls of Fame don't go through the same scrutiny that the Boxing Hall of Fame is being out through in this thread. I like sports in general, so I've been to all kinds of message boards and I can tell you that the same argument is made at all of them.

Personally I feel that the standard is set too low. I feel the hall of fame SHOULD be for ATGs and fighters who came close to ATG status. Otherwise I don't really see the point of it. In this day and age, with everyone and their mother trying to be a 7 division champ resulting in vacant and paper championships all over the place, I don't think being a titlelist is enough.

 

hear, hear .

 

I think it has been watered down a little.. I bet all those in the second tier you listed get in..

 

Yes, they do and I'll add Wladimir Klitschko. These guys were linear champs, cleaned out their divsions, and defended their belts that's what HOF'ers do.

 

i think it depends on what you have done in your career with the oppostion that was avabile and where you stand in the context of ATG but you cant solely base it off of your comp. if you didnt have the great comp to fight such as Wlad i think that shouldnt keep him out...he is clearly the number 1 HW and if he holds it long enough i think that should get him in

 

Just about everybody gets in eventually. That could be a problem, if you need the HOF to tell you who's great.

 

Wouldn't you agree that it's premature to comment on the HOF-worthiness of Klitschko's career as it is still in progress ?

When Lennox Lewis was Wlad's age he still had the following fights in his future:


Shannon Briggs

Zeljko Mavrovic

Evander Holyfield (twice)

Michael Grant

Francois Botha

David Tua

Hasim Rahman (twice)

Mike Tyson

Vitali Klitschko


Without these last eleven bouts, would Lennox be HOF material ?

I believe not.

 

Anyone with 5 or more title defenses deserves to be in the boxing hall of fame.