By Boxing Bob Newman
The International Boxing Hall of Fame has pulled out all the stops, making way for this, its 30th anniversary Gala Induction Weekend festivities, which begin Thursday, June 6th and run through Sunday, June 9th in Canastota, New York.
Not only will the IBHOF be enshrining new members Julian “The Hawk” Jackson, Donald “The Lone Star Cobra” Curry, James “Buddy” McGirt, Tony DeMarco, Teddy Atlas, Guy Jutras, Don Elbaum and Lee Samuels, but several past and possibly future inductees will be on hand to take in the four day event as well.
Future IBHOF hopefuls such as Paulie Ayala, Ricky Hatton, Micky Ward, Vinny Pazienza and Antonio Tarver are just a few expected fighters to be on hand. Past inductees such as Michael Carbajal, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Pernell Whitaker will also grace boxing’s hallowed grounds this coming weekend.
One special former inductee in the non-participant category who will be making yet another long journey back to “Title-Town” is Stan Christodoulou, South Africa’s renowned judge and referee. This time however, Stan “The Man” has his life story to share with fans, in the form of his newly released biography, “The Life and Times of Stanley Christodoulou – The Remarkable Story of Boxing’s Championship Referee and Judge.” Christodoulou will have signed copies of his book available during the annual boxing memorabilia and collector’s show held in the local high school on Saturday, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., as well as throughout the weekend. It’s truly one of the best boxing reads in this writer’s humble opinion, in recent memory.
The weekend will be full of events:
Thursday: Opening bell and ringside lectures starting at 1 p.m.
Friday: Ringside lectures (10 a.m.), fist casting for new inductees and first time boxer attendees (3 p.m.) and Fight Night at Turning Stone Casino headlined by Zab Judah vs Cletus Seldin (7 p.m.)
Saturday: Golf Tournament of Champions @ Castlewood Gold Course (7 a.m.- 3 p.m.), 5K race & Fun Run (8:30 a.m.), Ringside lectures (9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.), Boxing Collector’s & Autograph Show (10 a.m.-3 p.m.), VIP Cocktail Reception @ Graystone Castle (5:30-6:30) and the Gala Banquet @ Turning Stone Casino.
Sunday: Parade of Champions (1 p.m.) and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies (2:30 p.m.)
The best part of all, is the weather is forecast to be nearly perfect all weekend long- sunny, mid to high 70s. If you’re a boxing fan and have nothing to do this weekend, make the trip to Canastota, NY, boxing’s hometown.