The 2019 Boxing Hall of Fame Fighter Honorable Mentions
First, we at 3kingsboxing.com would like to congratulate the 2019 Hall of Fame class inductees.
Donald “The Lone Star Cobra” Curry, Julian “The Hawk” Jackson, James “Buddy” McGirt, Tony DeMarco, Don Elbaum, Guy Jutras, Lee Samuels, Teddy Atlas, and Mario Rivera Martino. We would like to thank these men for their contributions to the sport both in and out of the ring.
Every year across all professional sports, debates as to who should’ve made it in the Hall of Fame are the norm. This year’s class is no different, therefore, in this article we’re going to give an honorable mention to some who didn’t make it this year.
Honorable Mentions
Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez: (38-2-1, 17KOs)
Mostly known as the man who gave Floyd Mayweather Jr his first shot at a title. However, unknown to most fans, he was a dominant champion who held the WBA and WBC titles at junior lightweight, in addition to becoming the lineal champion.
Before vacating the WBA title to fight Oscar De La Hoya in 1995, he defended the title a total of eight times.
Ricky “Hitman” Hatton: (45-3, 32KOs)
He is arguably the most famous fighter from the United Kingdom to make it on the US stage. Hatton started his career winning his first forty fights. He owns impressive wins over Luis Collazo, Jose Luis Castillo, Juan Urango, Paulie Malignaggi, and Kosta Tszyu.
Additionally, he won titles at both junior welterweight and welterweight. Furthermore, he is on a very short list of fighters that could fill arenas outside his home country the same way he could in the UK.
Michael “Double M” Moorer: (52-4-1, 40KOs)
Possibly one of the most underrated careers of the 2019 candidates. Starting his 20 year career at light heavyweight, he opened with twenty-two consecutive knockout wins.
The Pennsylvania native was the first WBO light heavyweight champion and is credited by most boxing aficionados as the champion who brought credibility to the organization. Moorer would then move up to heavyweight where he’d continue to be one of the most entertaining stalwarts of the sport.
Not only would he go on to be a champion, he’d participate in some of the greatest fights in heavyweight history! He would debut at heavyweight in 1991 against Alex Stewart where he was nearly stopped in the second round. Not to be deterred, he would rally and TKO Stewart in the fourth.
A year later he’d fight tough veteran Bert Cooper for the vacant WBO heavyweight title. This fight would feature four knockdowns in five rounds. As a result, Moorer became the first southpaw heavyweight champion in history. Additionally, the fight finished second to Riddick Bowe vs Evander Holyfield for fight of the year in 1992.
Eventually he would go on to become five-time champion in his career, in addition to becoming a unified heavyweight champion.
Sven “Phantom” Ottke: (34-0, 6KOs)
Arguably Germany’s best champion, he retired undefeated while carrying the weight of an entire nation for his career. Ottke would fight exclusively in his native homeland with exception to one bout; his seventh professional bout in 1997.
He would eventually become a unified champion holding the IBF and WBA super middleweight titles.
Towards the end of his career, Ottke came close to making a deal to fight fellow undefeated champion Joe Calzaghe, however, the two never reached a deal.
Before his retirement in 2004, the three-time Olympian recorded twenty-one defenses of his IBF title.
By: Corey Cunningham
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