Pre-Induction Sunday, June 12, 2022
Induction day was a hectic day. Ultimately, though, the
stress and anxiety and sleep deprivation were well worth it. My internal alarm clock
went off before the one on the bedside table, and I used those extra few minutes
to pack up in anticipation of hitting the road early the next morning for the
five-plus hour drive home.
I grabbed only what was necessary to have with me and
headed toward Verona and the Turning Stone Casino after two pits stops to fill
my car with gas and pick up a cappuccino for Carmen from Dunkin’ Donuts. There
was a 9:45 call time for inductees and their families to gather in the fourth
floor lobby for a trip to the IBHOF museum where we would get to enjoy a
private tour. I didn’t allow myself the luxury of time for breakfast, but had to
run down to the sweet shop on the lower level that luckily brewed Starbucks coffee
so I could at least scratch my caffeine itch.
As we were loading off the bus, I jogged over to find my buddy
Len so that he could have a few moments to spend with Lady Tyger that he hadn’t
gotten all weekend. Things were already running late and security was just
doing their job by rushing us inside, but I made sure Len and another boxing friend
of mine named Chris got to say an all too brief hello and have Tyger sign their
induction programs. Like the rest of the weekend, it all went by way too
quickly.
We were brought up the ramp to the back entrance and began
to take in all of the historic artifacts from pugilism past all looked after by
life-size statues of hometown heroes Carmen Basilio and Billy Backus. In 2015,
six championship belts—four of which were won by Basilio and two belonging to Tony
Zale—were stolen from the museum in a heist that some have suggested may have
been an inside job. They have yet to be retrieved despite a Bring Back the
Belts movement spearheaded by Zale’s great niece Haley which had the high-profile
support of Mike Tyson, who offered a reward.
I had visited the museum a few times before on past trips
to Canastota, but seeing it as if for the first time through the eyes of Lady
Tyger was a unique experience. She marveled over Joe Louis’ boxing gloves, robes
worn by Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Christy Martin (whose powder-pink
garment was spattered with bloodstains), and the quite unusual display case of
mouthpieces. The museum’s newest donation was the pair of blue and orange gloves
Amanda Serrano used during her recent, history-making battle with Katie Taylor
at Madison Square Garden.
The best part for the inductees who had yet to step
inside the museum to that point was getting to view their Hall of Fame plaque
newly installed among boxing’s immortals. Seeing her plaque alongside Barbara
Buttrick’s (best not to speak of Jackie Tonawanda) as the first-ever enshrined
Women’s Trailblazers ranked high up on the list of significant and meaningful
experiences for Lady Tyger. And there were more yet to come.
I had a pleasant conversation with Dr. Margaret Goodman,
former ringside physician and president of VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping
Association), who was being inducted later in the day and very grateful for the
recognition, though she told me how aware she is that more work lay ahead for her
to help make boxers’ safety the sport’s top priority. At long last I took
advantage of the opportunity to introduce myself to Laila Ali. She was as nice as
you would hope, gladly posing for photos with me and Lady Tyger and signing my 2021
HOF program, thus completing my mission of getting every female inductee to
autograph the set of three, each for their specific class, with the lone exception
of Lucia Rijker who unfortunately could not attend. We also had a nice visit
with James Toney and his family before it was time to get going for the parade.
I happened to spot Franchon Crews-Dezurn admiring the
plaques, perhaps picking out a nice blank space where hers might go someday,
and couldn’t leave without congratulating her on becoming undisputed world
super-middleweight champion at Madison Square Garden. I told her that I was not
only at that fight with Lady Tyger but here as well. Her excitement at the
prospect of meeting the great Lady Tyger was palpable and infectious, and I
told her we had to hurry because they were ushering her out the back door as we
spoke. Just as Tyger approached the exit’s threshold, Franchon and I came
barreling around the corner and she got to thank her hero for paving the way
for future generations of female boxers like herself. Another surreal moment
that I had the privilege to be a part of, just as it was to travel with Lady
Tyger, Carmen, and Georgina in the Parade of Champions.
Because riding through downtown Canastota in an open-top
car would have been too great a burden on Lady Tyger, she opted to remain on
the wheelchair-accessible school bus. So that the parade-goers would know who
was inside, the Hall of Fame went to the trouble of decorating the side of the
bus with a large banner bearing her name and three most identifiable likenesses—with
a bald head, sporting a mohawk, and wearing her trademark tiger-print robe.
As serendipity would have it, we were deposited at the
American Legion building, where a pre-induction lunch would be provided, just
as Barbara Buttrick and Jimmy Finn happened by. We all made the most of the
opportunity to chat for a bit before heading inside for some much-needed
sustenance. As a vegetarian, burger and hotdog-style buffets like these often
leave me with few if any options in the way of protein. This was no exception,
so I indulged in a carbo-loading marathon, filling up on pasta and potato salad
to get me through what would be a lengthy induction ceremony.
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