2019 Boxing Hall of Fame candidates
Ricky Hatton
(45-3,32 KOs) started his career with forty straight wins. He spent most of his career at junior welterweight with notable wins over Kosta Tszyu, Juan Urango, Jose Luis Castillo. He did come up short in some of his biggest tests against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Hatton, for most of his career, was one of the most popular fighters to come out of the UK.
Donald Curry
(34-6,25 KOs), known as “The Lone Star Cobra,” started his career working his way to the #1 P4P list; culminating with a win over Milton McCrory. His career took a downward turn with KO losses to Mike McCallum and Loyd Honeyghan. Drug addiction and legal issues cut his career short. At his peak, he was known as the man Sugar Ray Leonard would rather meet in a courtroom than a boxing ring.
Genaro Hernandez
(38-2-1, 17 KOs) is probably the most accomplished super featherweight in boxing history. He still currently holds the super featherweight record for consecutive title defenses at ten. Oscar De La Hoya ended his first title run. Later, he would regain his title in a huge upset against current hall of famer Azumha Nelson. He would go on to defend his title three more times before getting stopped by a young prodigy named Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Julian Jackson
(55-6,49 KOs), a Saint Thomas fighter, is known as one of the hardest punching fighters in the history of the sport with a career KO percentage of eighty percent. During his prime, he was one of the best fighters on the planet while fighting in a historically stacked super welterweight division. The only fighter to beat him in that weight class was Mike McCallum, who owns two wins over Jackson. He would later go on to win a middleweight title as well and fought fellow KO artist Gerald McClellan. McClellan was able to stop him twice in very exciting fights. Jackson owns some impressive wins over Herol Graham, Buster Drayton, and the mercurial Terry Norris.
Rafael Marquez
(41-9, 37 KOs) is the brother of Juan Manuel Marquez. His career is equally impressive as well. He is arguably the greatest bantamweight in boxing history. Marquez has wins over Tim Austin, two wins over hall of famer Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, and two wins in a four fight series against Israel Vazquez. He also managed seven consecutive defenses of his bantamweight title.
Dariusz Michalczewski
(48-2, 38 KOs) owns twenty three title defenses at light heavyweight and also won a title at cruiser weight. He has impressive wins over Montell Griffin, Graciano Rocchigiani, and Virgil Hill. Many fans believe he was avoided by Roy Jones Jr. Knowledgeable fans know that while he had an impressive career, he wasn’t in Jones’ class. He may have a difficult time getting in due to fighting outside of Germany twice.
Michael Moorer
(52-4-1 40 KOs) started his career with 22 consecutive stoppage victories at light heavyweight. Moorer then moved up to heavyweight and won his first thirteen fights there. He defeated Evander Holyfield in that run as well. He would later go on to lose to George Foreman in one of the most exciting comeback fights in boxing history. The mercurial southpaw was one of the best heavyweights in a loaded era in the nineties.
Sven Ottke
(34-0, 6 KOs) is most compared to Joe Calzaghe because of his undefeated career and the fact he never fought outside of his native Berlin. He fought his entire career at super middleweight. His best career wins are Charles Brewer(twice), Glen Johnson, Thomas Tate (twice), and Byron Mitchell.
Meldrick Taylor
(38-8-1 20 KOs) is most known for his controversial loss in the final seconds to Julio Chavez Sr. He won titles at both super lightweight and welterweight. His best wins are over Buddy McGirt, Aaron Davis, and Chad Broussard. While he has one of boxing’s most famous stories, he may struggle to make the Hall.
Fernando Vargas
(26-5, 22 KOs) was a precocious young fighter who had a short career. During his career, he fought in a really stacked junior middleweight division. Early in his career, he got his best win over a savvy Ronald “Winky” Wright. Vargas came up short in his biggest test against Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad. Due to his short career and coming up short in his biggest fights, he probably doesn’t make the cut.
By: Corey Cunningham
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