Boxing legends Gennady Golovkin, Antonio Tarver, and Nigel Benn were inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday in Canastota, New York.
A great honor for Gennady Golovkin, Nigel Benn, and others: The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) held a ceremony over the weekend to induct new boxing legends. The annual event in Canastota, New York (USA), was attended by many big names, including Sugar Ray Leonard, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Vinny Pazienza.
Legendary trilogy with Canelo
“Boxing is my life, and I feel truly honored,” Golovkin said upon his induction into the IBHOF. “This recognition means more to me than I can put into words. I am very proud to stand alongside legends. I never stopped believing in myself.” The 44-year-old, once a dominant force and multiple middleweight champion, will retire in 2023. In addition, “GGG” fought an exciting trilogy in the super middleweight division against Canelo Alvarez. Two of the three bouts were named Fight of the Year by the U.S. boxing magazine “The Ring.”
Antonio Tarver has become the latest former champion to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. During his prime, the 57-year-old fought a trilogy against boxing icon Roy Jones Jr. (2-1 in Tarver’s favor) and won the light heavyweight world title multiple times throughout his career. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Tarver said. “My mother was my rock, my greatest foundation, my biggest supporter. With every victory, every comeback, I carried her voice with me. This victory is for you, and I hope I’ve made you proud.”
“Boxing saved me”
Nigel Benn, the British boxing icon, was also visibly moved by his induction into the IBHOF. “This means so much to me,” the 62-year-old said on stage in Canastota. “Boxing saved me; it changed my life. Thank you all.” During his nine-year career, Benn won titles in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions. “The Destroyer” became particularly famous for his bitter rivalry with Chris Eubank Sr., which was carried on by their sons into the next generation .
With Naoko Fujioka, Japan’s first five-weight-class champion was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the “Class of 2026.” The same goes for Mexico’s ring warrior Jackie Nava, who won titles in the bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions during her career.
Text: Frank Schwantes