History
The town of Canastota, New York, in 1982 decided to honor two local boys who made good as boxers: Carmen Basilio, world middleweight and welterweight champion in the 1950s, and Basilio's nephew, Billy Backus, who became world welterweight titlist in 1970.
A fund raising drive to build a small museum dedicated to Basilio and Backus was so successful that Canastota residents decided to go even further, by establishing boxing's first true hall of fame and museum.
Ground was broken for the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum in 1989 and the first induction was held the following year.
Inductees are chosen in four categories:
Non-Participants: Managers, trainers, referees, who have contributed to the sport through their activities outside the ring
Pioneers: Boxers, mainly bare-knuckle fighters, whose last bout took place before 1892
Old-Timers: Boxers whose last bout took place no earlier than 1893 and no later than 1942
Moderns: Boxers whose last contest took place no earlier than 1943, and who have been retired for at least five years
Inductees in the first three categories are elected by historians chosen by the Hall of Fame's board of directors. Moderns are elected by a panel made up primarily of members of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
A new category, for those whose last bout took place no earlier than 1993 and no later than 2042, will be added in 1999.
Induction ceremonies are held annually, about the middle of June.
Fighters
Modern Era
Muhammad Ali Sammy Angott Alexis Arguello
Henry Armstrong Carmen Basilio Wilfred Benitez
Nino Benvenuti Jackie "Kid" Berg Joe Brown
Charley Burley Miguel Canto Marcel Cerdan
Antonio Cervantes Ezzard Charles Billy Conn
Flash Elorde Bob Foster Joe Frazier
Gene Fullmer Kid Gavilan Joey Giardello
Wilfredo Gomez Billy Graham Rocky Graziano
Emile Griffith Marvin Hagler "Fighting" Harada
Beau Jack Eder Jofre Harold Johnson
Jake LaMotta Sugar Ray Leonard Sonny Liston
Joe Louis Rocky Marciano Joey Maxim
Bob Montgomery Carlos Monzon Archie Moore
Matthew Saad Muhammad Jose Napoles Ken Norton
Ruben Olivares Carlos Ortiz Manuel Ortiz
Floyd Patterson Willie Pep Pascual Perez
Aaron Pryor Sugar Ray Robinson Luis Rodriguez
Sandy Saddler Salvador Sanchez Max Schmeling
Michael Spinks Dick Tiger Jose Torres
Jersey Joe Walcott Ike Williams Chalky Wright
Tony Zale Carlos Zarate Fritzie Zivic
Old Timers
Lou Ambers Abe Attell Max Baer
Jack Britton Panama Al Brown Tommy Burns
Tony Canzoneri Georges Carpentier Kid Chocolate, Kid
Joe Choynski James J. Corbett Les Darcey
Jack Delaney Jack Dempsey Jack "Nonpareil" Dempsey
Jack Dillon George Dixon Jim Driscoll
Johnny Dundee Bob Fitzsimmons Tiger Flowers
Joe Gans Frankie Genaro Mike Gibbons
Tommy Gibbons Harry Greb Young Griffo
Pete Herman Peter Jackson Joe Jeanette
James J. Jeffries Jack Johnson Stanley Ketchel
Johnny Kilbane Fidel La Barba Sam Langford
George "Kid" Lavigne Benny Leonard John Henry Lewis
Ted "Kid" Lewis Tommy Loughran Benny Lynch
Sammy Mandell Jack McAuliffe Charles "Kid" McCoy
Packey McFarland Terry McGovern Jimmy McLarnin
Freddie Miller Battling Nelson Phila. Jack O'Brien
Maxie Rosenbloom Barney Ross Tommy Ryan
Jack Sharkey Young Stribling Gene Tunney
Pancho Villa "Barbados" Joe Walcott Mickey Walker
Freddie Welsh Jimmy Wilde Kid Williams
Harry Wills
Pioneers
Jem Belcher Ben Brain Jack Broughton
James Burke Tom Cribb "Prof." Mike Donovan
Paddy Duffy James Figg John Jackson
Tom Johnson Tom KingNat LanghamJem Mae
Daniel Mendoza Tom Molineaux John Morrissey
Henry Pearce Dutch Sam Tom Sayers
Tom Spring John L. Sullivan Bendigo Thompson
Jem Ward
Non-Participants
Thomas S. Andrews Ray Arcel Jack Blackburn
William A. Brady Teddy Brenner John Graham Chambers
Gil Clancy James W. Coffroth Cus D'AmatoArthur Donova Angelo Dundee Chris Dundee
Don Dunphy Lou Duva Pierce Egan
Nathaniel S. Fleischer Richard K. Fox Eddie Futch
Charley Goldman Ruby Goldstein Joe Humphreys
Jimmy Jacobs Mike Jacobs Jack Kearns
Don King A.J. Leibling Lord Lonsdale
Harry Markson Marq. of Queensberry Arthur Mercante
William Muldoon Gilbert Odd Dan Parker
George Parnassu George "Tex" Rickard George Siler
Jack Solomons Emanuel Steward Sam Taub
Herman Taylor James J. Walker
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