Why is Alfredo Escalera not in the IBHOF?

In 1977 he knocked out a guy that I spent a lot of time with in the early to mid 90s. He always said that he would have beaten Escalera if he didn't catch a headbutt that caused a severe cut over his left eye- the blood got in his eye and he didn't see the right hand that flattened him. I've seen the fight and he was doing pretty well but I wouldn't 100% with his take on it.

 

Escalera should definitely be in.

 

Absolutely. He was a good fighting Champion, the only heavyweight titlist to take it out of mothballs between 1919-1923 Dempsey and Louis. He legitimately defended successfully against two guys who beat Max Baer.

Well conditioned with a big heart, he was never down for the count.

 

That’s the whole point here.

To say he’s not in the IBHoF because he’s not American is a joke — plenty of non-Americans (and non-English-speaking) fighters are in it. So why would they single Alfredo out to keep him from being inducted based on his nationality when they didn’t do so with others. Makes no sense.

Likewise, while you can make a case for him for the Hall of Fame, you can probably make a better case for him not being included. He lost his biggest fights. He lost to pedestrian competition in his prime … like low-level club fighters. Four of his title defenses should be thrown out the window (Everett plus the three that came after since it was perhaps the worst robbery in the history of boxing and he shouldn’t have been champ still to make the ones that came later).

I have a harder time seeing what someone can hang their hat on to make a case for him in the Hall than seeing why he should be in.

I guess you can say ‘well if Arturo Gatti is in, everyone should be in’ — but the people who say that DON’T think Gatti should be in, so how can they support a case for someone based on that? And what about the flip side, which you mentioned — if there are better fighters than Escalera who are in, why should he be inducted before them. If Chucho and De Jesus aren’t Hall of Famers, no way Alfredo should be.

 

Not plenty enough. Tell me why the most popular mexican fighter of all time (Macias) is not in the HoF and Ray Mancini is ??
Or the biggest argentinian boxing icon of all time (Justo Suarez) is also not inducted ?? Or why Billy Soose is (just a example of someone that was not a reigning champ) without any problem and, I don´t know, Rodrigo Valdez isn´t ? And so on and so forth.
C´mon.

It is not bad faith by the voters, but naturally they pay attention to what it´s related to them...

 

Why would he belong in?

Of course Arguello would say that, because he beat him twice so that makes him look even better.