Induction Sunday, June 12, 2022
To accommodate the extraordinary number of men and women
being enshrined, not to mention the well above average turnout of fans
expected, this year’s ceremony was moved from the dais on the Hall of Fame
grounds to the Turning Stone Resort Casino’s Events Center. Given the
unpredictable nature of Central New York summer weather patterns, this proved
to be an especially welcome change of venue as the potential for rain was relatively
high according to that day’s forecast.
The sight of so many of boxing’s living legends seated
side by side onstage for this four-hour extravaganza was awe-inspiring to put
it mildly. By virtue of the fact that she was the first female called to the
podium, groundbreaking promoter Kathy Duva became the first woman to be
inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and paid homage to her late
husband Dan. “He was the smartest, the best, the most honorable person that I’ve
ever known,” she said while fighting back tears. “To be included alongside him
here forever is the best part of what’s happening to me today.”
2020 inductee Lucia Rijker sent in a pre-recorded message
which was played on the overhead video screens, as did Wladimir Klitschko, still
mired in the Ukrainian struggle against Russian aggression and occupation.
“I miss America. I have been in the Netherlands now for
two years,” Rijker commented from a sun-dappled meditation garden
adorned with a pair of Buddha statues. “I hope to be able to come home soon and
receive my ring just like all of you.” Lucia gave a special shout-out to her
first trainer Freddie Roach, who came to Canastota all the way from Los Angeles
to support Rijker, unaware of and admittedly disappointed by her absence.
“Look at what women’s boxing has become. It’s amazing,” Barbara
Buttrick said with the aid of a friend who helped the 92-year-old trailblazer
read her speech. “Of course, I’ve been asked many times what I was trying to
prove. Nothing,” concluded Buttrick, the oldest living female prizefighter. “I
was asked what I was fighting for. Respect.”
Christy Martin, who survived an attempt on her life by
her former trainer and husband Jim twelve years ago, used her platform to call
attention to the ongoing horrors of domestic violence. “Some of these fighters
up here were much better fighters. Most were much better speakers,” admitted
Christy. “But none of them loved their job more than I loved mine.” Deliberately
timing her remarks to last two minutes, Martin wrapped up her speech by
pointing out that 40 people worldwide had suffered abuse at the hands of their
partners in just those 120 seconds.
“What I want to tell all of you, because you love this
sport, you, all of us have to do more. These guys deserve it,” proclaimed Dr.
Margaret Goodman, former ringside physician with the Nevada State Athletic
Commission and current overseer of VADA. “We have to help them have a fair
fight. And what does a fair fight mean? A fair fight means a clean fight.”
Lady Tyger, Class of 2021, wanted nothing more than to
stand at the podium and deliver her acceptance speech. With the help of her caregiver
Carmen and the genuinely chivalrous Roy Jones Jr., she gave it her best shot,
but ultimately it was just too much to ask of herself. Even a natural born
fighter has to learn to acknowledge and respect his or her limitations. With
Carmen holding the microphone and Roy Jones looking after her papers, Lady
Tyger no doubt stirred many souls throughout the room by reciting a poem called
“I’m here” that she had written especially for the occasion.
“I’m here! I’m here!
I’m finally here, at the International Boxing Hall of
Fame.
Thanks to Ed Brophy and all his staff involved in
remembering my name.
I fought just to be licensed,
Heaven knows it was a hell of a fight.
I wrote letters and begged promoters and went on a hunger
strike.
Now women boxers are making millions, sold out the Garden
too.
Proved that we can fight and battle,
Black eyes I’ve had a few.
I opened the doors with many pioneers, just want to make
this clear.
Again I say, I’m here! I’m here!
Thank God I’m finally here.”
Her humorous and touching thank you’s were an emotional
roller coaster ride, and little did any of us know—Lady Tyger included—that a
surprise presentation was coming which would have the entire auditorium
standing and applauding while simultaneously reaching for the Kleenex to wipe
our eyes. Osvaldo, the Argentinian journalist who had interviewed Lady Tyger in
her hotel room on Friday evening, lived up to his promise to assist in having
her 1979 championship victory appropriately honored.
A trophy and a thousand dollar purse were her rewards for
beating Sue ‘KO’ Carlson in San Antonio for the world women’s lightweight
title. Forty-three years later, before a packed house at the International
Boxing Hall of Fame induction ceremony, emcee James ‘Smitty’ Smith strode
onstage holding an honest-to-goodness WBC green and gold world championship
belt to give to Lady Tyger on behalf of president Mauricio Sulaiman. Lady Tyger
was so overcome by the magnitude of this gesture that Roy Jones Jr. once again
selflessly sprang into action, holding the belt in place around her waist while
cameras flashed and eyes watered.
As softspoken as she was heavy-handed, three division
world champion Ann Wolfe was next up. “After spending about three days with
everyone on this stage, chopping it up with them, for the first time in my life
I feel like I’m an equal,” she said. “They treated me with respect, and they
treated me as though I was one of their peers.”
As Jimmy Lennon Jr. liked to intone while doing his ring announcing
duties, Laila Ali really needs no introduction the world over. “It’s truly an
honor to be in the International Hall of Fame with my father. Without him,
there would be no me. All of that confidence that he had was really what got
passed down to me, the confidence to fight even when he told me not to. He told
me he didn’t want me to do it,” Laila confessed. “This is what I love, this is
what I do. I wasn’t making a lot of money despite what people thought. I was
doing it because I loved it. There was so many other things I could be doing,
right? But boxing will always be my first love.”
Longtime world flyweight champion Regina Halmich (54-1-1)
was pleased to be finally getting the type of recognition in America that she
has long been the recipient of in her homeland. “Most of my fights took place
in Germany, and I was named the Queen of Boxing all over Europe. Mainly for two
reasons. One, I never gave up working and fighting for women’s rank and position
in the boxing business,” Halmich avowed. Her main event bouts and 28 title
defenses attracted millions of viewers and earned her million-dollar paydays
which she proudly declared, “made me a pioneer in women’s boxing.” In closing,
Regina stated, “I’d like to dedicate this award to all the girls and women. It
is important to have goals and dreams to focus and make them count. Thanks to
all the critics and opponents of women’s boxing. You made us even stronger.”
Holly Holm couldn’t contain her emotions while affirming
that she would not be where she is today if not for the loyalty of her family
and team members, all of whom have stuck with her throughout her ventures into
both boxing and mixed martial arts. “There’s a lot of people out here in this
sport, as we all know, between managers and promoters and coaches, they’re all
in it for their own glory a lot of times,” said Holly. “And, I’ll tell you right
now, I’ve always been surrounded by people who have only wanted the best for
me, the very selfless love and support I’ve had. So, I don’t see this as my
Hall of Fame day, but a joint effort. Thank you.”
Bernard Hopkins shared the stage with his mentor Rudy
Battle and son Bernard III, Andre Ward stressed the importance of existing in a
comfortable middle ground between criticism and acclaim, and Roy Jones Jr. closed
the show with a rousing rendition of his rap song “Y’all Must’ve Forgot” which,
believe me, no one who was there will soon forget.
When all was said and done, the newly-enshrined Hall of
Famers and their guests were treated to a pizza party in a common area upstairs
at the Turning Stone which is where Roy Jones and his wife were relaxing on a
couch. I congratulated Roy on his induction, told him how much I enjoyed his rap
performance, and thanked him for going above and beyond to take such good care
of Lady Tyger onstage. Knowing that she would like to extend her gratitude to
Roy personally, I asked if he might stop by to say a quick hello.
He was certainly under no obligation to say yes, but
showed his true character by happily following me back to Tyger’s room two
doors down where she was resting after a physically and emotionally draining
day. “You’re back,” she smiled when I came through the door. “And I brought a
guest,” I replied, and Tyger’s always expressive eyes lit up in blissful
surprise when Roy walked into the room.
“I would have fallen myself before I would have let you
fall,” he guaranteed Tyger when she thanked him for helping her stand up
momentarily during the ceremony. She was embarrassed by a photo taken of the championship
belt presentation that captured her in the midst of what she referred to as an “ugly
cry.” Roy told Tyger, just as Carmen and Georgina and Cecilia and I all did,
that the expression on her face was beautiful because it was an authentic emotional
response that came from a place of sheer joy and appreciation. He had no
problem admitting that the poignancy of the moment moved him to tears.
You could pretty much tell just by the heft of it that
the WBC belt was the real deal, and Roy confirmed that the green and gold now
in her possession was no cheap replica but the same exact type that they had issued
to him and all the other champions. “You worked hard for this and now you’ve
got your recognition all these years later,” he beamed.
There was more said that I can’t go into here without
betraying Roy’s confidence, which I would never think of doing. He is as real as
they get, and it was a profound, intimate experience that ended with handshakes
and hugs and all of us sitting in a shared state of stunned disbelief for a
minute or two after Roy left, simply looking at one another as if to say,
without having to utter the words aloud, “Can you believe that just happened?”
More than two weeks later as I write this, I still can’t quite believe it, or
that I didn’t somehow dream the entire weekend.
Afterword
We bid our fond and final farewells to Sue Fox, Sumya
Anani, Eva Jones-Young, Bonnie Mann, Barbara Buttrick, and Jimmy Finn at the Emerald
Restaurant later that night but not before Lady Tyger had one last distasteful
encounter with the “bozo” memorabilia dealer who had been harassing her all
weekend. He cornered Tyger on her way back from the restroom with Carmen, once
again insisting that she write her last name on the induction program she had already
signed “Lady Tyger,” as she does with all of her autographs for reasons that
were explained in an earlier chapter.
It was clear he wasn’t giving this up, so Tyger had no
other choice but to let him know how aggressively rude he had been to her and
that he made her special weekend stressful and unpleasant. For what it’s worth,
which is absolutely nothing in my estimation, he stopped by our table shortly
after to apologize. Lady Tyger accepted, just happy to be rid of him once and
for all so we could get back to celebrating her momentous achievement in peace.
Tyger, Carmen, and Cecilia tried their luck in the casino
until we found a little lounge in which to wind down the evening. Brenda Glur
Spinks joined us and we reminisced about Lady Tyger’s accomplishments and how
much all of us missed Leon. We all had early wake up calls and packing to do
for our Monday morning departures, and it was with heavy hearts but huge smiles
that we said goodnight. But not goodbye.
Lady Tyger doesn’t like ending conversations by saying “goodbye.”
Much too final. It’s always, “later.” So, with that in mind…until next time, “later.”
IBHOF Class of 2020:
Bernard Hopkins
Juan Manuel Marquez
Shane Mosley
Barbara Buttrick
Christy Martin
Lucia Rijker
Lou DiBella
Kathy Duva
Bernard Fernandez
Dan Goossen
Thomas Hauser
Frank Erne
Paddy Ryan
IBHOF Class of 2021:
Wladimir Klitschko
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Andre Ward
Marian Lady Tyger Trimiar
Laila Ali
Ann Wolfe
Dr. Margaret Goodman
Freddie Brown
George Kimball
Jay Larkin
Jackie McCoy
Davey Moore
Jackie Tonawanda
IBHOF Class of 2022:
Miguel Cotto
Roy Jones Jr.
James Toney
Regina Halmich
Holly Holm
Ron Borges
Bill Caplan
Chuck Hull
Tod Morgan
Bob Yalen
No comments:
Post a Comment